Shloka 19

त्रिगर्त-मात्स्य-संग्रामः

The Trigarta–Matsya Engagement at Twilight

Devanagari script

अथान्यान्‌ विविधाकारान्‌ ध्वजान्‌ हेमपरिष्कृतान्‌

Transliteration

athānyān vividhākārān dhvajān hemapariṣkṛtān

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Then he beheld other banners too—of many different shapes and designs—adorned and embellished with gold, signaling the ordered martial display and the prestige of the assembled warriors.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ
• Form: indeclinable

• अन्यान्: other
• अन्यान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• विविधाकारान्: of various forms
• विविधाकारान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविधाकार
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• ध्वजान्: banners/flags
• ध्वजान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• हेमपरिष्कृतान्: adorned with gold
• हेमपरिष्कृतान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमपरिष्कृत
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• dhvaja (banners/standards)
• hema (gold)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how outward symbols—banners and gold ornamentation—communicate rank, cohesion, and readiness in a royal army; ethically, it points to the social language of duty and honor in a kṣatriya context, where order and discipline are displayed publicly.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes the sight of many differently shaped standards, richly decorated with gold, as part of a broader depiction of an army or royal force being observed in the Virāṭa episode.