Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एतावदुक्त्वा वचन बाष्पव्याकुललोचन:

Transliteration

etāvad uktvā vacanaṃ bāṣpa-vyākula-locanaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Having spoken only this much, with eyes clouded and troubled by tears, he paused—overcome by emotion amid the grim unfolding of the war’s events.

Word by Word

• एतावत्: this much, so much
• एतावत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतावत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: क्त्वा

• वचनम्: speech, words
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बाष्प-व्याकुल-लोचनः: he whose eyes were distressed/blurred with tears
• बाष्प-व्याकुल-लोचनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोचन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the human cost of adharma-driven conflict: even a seasoned narrator like Sañjaya is shaken to tears, underscoring that war’s outcomes are not merely strategic but deeply moral and emotional.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reaches a point where emotion overwhelms him; after saying only a little, his tear-filled eyes signal a pause or break in narration due to grief.