Shloka 28

Devanagari script

विस्मयाच्चोत्तरीयाणि व्याविध्यन्‌ सर्वतो नूपा:

Transliteration

vismayāccottarīyāṇi vyāvidhyan sarvato nūpāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Frappées d’étonnement, les femmes tout autour se mirent à agiter leurs voiles et leurs étoffes par-dessus l’épaule, de tous côtés. La scène traduit un élan collectif et spontané—merveille et trouble—devant l’extraordinaire qui se déployait sur le champ de bataille, là où la résolution humaine se heurte au destin.

Word by Word

• विस्मयात्: from astonishment
• विस्मयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• उत्तरीयाणि: upper garments, cloaks
• उत्तरीयाणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तरीय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• व्याविध्यन्: they tossed/whirled about
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + आ + व्यध्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Plural

• सर्वतः: on all sides, everywhere
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः

• नूपाः: men/people (here: those present)
• नूपाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नूप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• नूपाः (women/ladies)
• उत्तरीय (upper garments/veils)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary, fate-laden moments in war provoke immediate collective responses—wonder, fear, and awe—reminding readers that ethical conflict is not only strategic but also deeply human, affecting entire communities beyond the warriors.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that women present on all sides, overwhelmed by amazement at what they witness, wave their upper garments in agitation—an outward sign of intense astonishment at the unfolding battlefield spectacle.