Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एवमेतं महाव्यूहं प्रत्यव्यूहन्त पाण्डवा:

Transliteration

evam etaṁ mahāvyūhaṁ pratyavyūhanta pāṇḍavāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Ainsi, pour répondre à cette immense formation de bataille, les Pāṇḍava disposèrent une contre-formation — stratégie contre stratégie, selon l’ordre de la guerre et l’affrontement dicté par le devoir.»

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• एतम्: this
• एतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाव्यूहम्: great battle-formation
• महाव्यूहम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाव्यूह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रति: against, in return
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• अव्यूहन्त: they arrayed (in formation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ऊह्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पाण्डवाः: the Pandavas
• पाण्डवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• mahāvyūha (great battle formation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined response under pressure: in a dharma-framed conflict, one must meet challenges with clarity, organization, and appropriate strategy rather than panic—fulfilling one’s role with steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava forces, seeing the opponent’s large formation, arranged a corresponding counter-formation to face it on the battlefield.