Shloka 231

Devanagari script

यदृच्छया समायातौ सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ यथा । बलिनौ समरे दृप्तौ नानाशस्त्रधरौ युधि

Transliteration

yadṛcchayā samāyātau sūryācandramasau yathā | balinau samare dṛptau nānāśastradharau yudhi ||

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: «Por puro azar se encontraron, como el Sol y la Luna al coincidir en el cielo: ambos poderosos, ambos altivos en la batalla, y en el campo de guerra portando armas de muchas clases».

Word by Word

• यदृच्छया: by chance, accidentally
• यदृच्छया: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदृच्छा
• Form: Avyaya (instrumental sense: 'by chance')

• समायातौ: having come together / arrived
• समायातौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-या
• Form: Past active participle (क्त), masculine nominative dual

• सूर्य: the sun
• सूर्य: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य
• Form: Masculine, nominative singular (in compound with चन्द्रमसौ as a dvandva)

• चन्द्रमसौ: the moon (together: the sun and the moon)
• चन्द्रमसौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रमस्
• Form: Masculine, nominative dual (dvandva sense: 'sun and moon')

• यथा: as, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा
• Form: Avyaya

• बलिनौ: strong, mighty (two)
• बलिनौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन्
• Form: Masculine, nominative dual

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, locative singular

• दृप्तौ: proud, haughty (two)
• दृप्तौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृप्त
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), masculine nominative dual

• नाना: various, many kinds of
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना
• Form: Avyaya (used as prefix-like qualifier)

• शस्त्र: weapons
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र
• Form: Neuter (as first member of compound)

• धरौ: bearing/holding (two)
• धरौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर
• Form: Agent noun (ण्वुल्/अच् sense), masculine nominative dual; in compound नानाशस्त्रधरौ

• युधि: in the fight, in combat
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध्
• Form: Feminine, locative singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• सूर्य (Sun)
• चन्द्रमस् (Moon)
• नानाशस्त्र (various weapons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how decisive confrontations can arise unexpectedly, and it cautions that strength and pride, though dazzling like celestial bodies, are still subject to circumstance; ethical reflection in war must account for the unpredictability of fate and the dangers of arrogance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two powerful warriors meeting suddenly in combat, comparing their encounter to the Sun and Moon coming together—an image emphasizing their brilliance, power, and the dramatic intensity of their armed clash.