Shloka 26

Devanagari script

न तत्र विषयस्त्वासीन्मम सैन्यस्य भारत । खे विषक्त हि तत्‌ सौभ॑ क्रोशमात्र इवाभवत्‌,भारत! शाल्वका सौभविमान आकाशमें इस प्रकार प्रवेश कर गया था कि मेरे सैनिकोंकी दृष्टिमें आता ही नहीं था, मानो एक कोस दूर चला गया हो

Transliteration

na tatra viṣayas tv āsīn mama sainyasya bhārata | khe viṣaktaṃ hi tat saubha krośamātra ivābhavat, bhārata ||

Translation

Vāsudeva said: “O Bhārata, my army could find no clear range or target there. For that Saubha, clinging to the sky, seemed as though it were only a krośa away—yet it would not come within proper sight or reach.”

Word by Word

नnot

तत्रthere

विषयःobject (of perception), range (of sight)

तुbut

आसीतwas

ममof me, my

सैन्यस्यof the army

भारतO Bharata

खेin the sky

विषक्तःattached, clinging, stuck

हिindeed, for

तत्that

सौभम्Saubha (the aerial city/vehicle)

क्रोशमात्रःmeasuring (only) a krośa; about a krośa away

इवas if, like

अभवत्became, was

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

Bhārata (addressed listener)

Saubha (Śālva’s aerial vehicle/fortress)

Kha (sky/air, as setting)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a key ethical-strategic point in warfare: force alone is ineffective without clear perception and a legitimate, reachable target. It also underscores how deception or concealment can disrupt even a powerful army, implying the need for discernment and steadiness rather than impulsive violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) explains that Śālva’s Saubha, suspended in the sky, could not be properly seen or engaged by his troops. Though it seemed to be only a krośa away, it stayed outside effective visibility and range, frustrating the army’s attempts to respond.