Shloka 81

Devanagari script

जयं मत्वा विपुलं वै त्वदीया- स्तलान्‌ निजष्नु: सिंहनादांश्व नेदु:

Transliteration

jayaṁ matvā vipulaṁ vai tvadīyās talān nijaṣṇuḥ siṁhanādāṁś ca neduḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Persuadés qu’une grande victoire était acquise, tes guerriers battirent les tambours de guerre et poussèrent des clameurs de bataille, pareilles au rugissement du lion. Enivrés par le triomphe attendu, ils proclamèrent l’assurance plutôt que la retenue—signe que l’orgueil peut enfler au cœur même de l’incertitude morale de la guerre.

Word by Word

• जयम्: victory
• जयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मत्वा: having thought/considered
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• विपुलम्: great, abundant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• त्वदीयाः: your (people/men), belonging to you
• त्वदीयाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वदीय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तलान्: palms/soles (lit. 'tala'); (contextually unclear)
• तलान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• निजघ्नुः: they struck/they slew
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सिंहनादान्: lion-roars, roars like lions
• सिंहनादान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंहनाद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• नेदुः: they roared/sounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: नद्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'your')
• Kaurava forces (implied by 'tvadīyāḥ')
• war-drums (talāḥ)
• lion-like battle-cries (siṁhanādāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how certainty of success can inflate pride and noise—symbolized by drums and lion-roars—suggesting that in war, outward confidence may mask inner moral peril; dharma calls for vigilance and humility even amid apparent advantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava side, believing a decisive victory to be near, beat their drums and raised loud battle-cries, signaling heightened morale and aggressive momentum on the battlefield.