Shloka 34

Devanagari script

श्वेतवर्णर्हयैर्युक्ते कालवालैर्मनोजवै: । आस्थाय पुरुषव्याप्र: स्वबलेनाभिसंवृत:

Transliteration

śvetavarṇair hayair yukte kālavālair manojavaiḥ | āsthāya puruṣavyāghraḥ svabalenābhisaṃvṛtaḥ ||

Translation

Monté sur un char attelé de chevaux blancs, rapides comme la pensée et aux crinières sombres, ce tigre parmi les hommes s’avança, entouré et protégé par ses propres troupes.

Word by Word

श्वेतवर्णैःwith white-colored

हयैःhorses

युक्तेyoked/attached (in)

कालवालैःwith black tails

मनोजवैःwith mind-swift (very swift)

आस्थायhaving mounted/entered

पुरुषव्याघ्रःtiger among men (great hero)

स्वबलेनby/with his own force (army/strength)

अभिसंवृतःsurrounded/encircled

Speaker

संयज उवाच

Characters & Entities

white horses

chariot (implied by yoking and mounting)

the hero described as puruṣavyāghra (unnamed in this verse)

his own army/troops (svabala)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, power is shown not merely by personal valor but by disciplined preparedness—swift resources (the horses) and loyal protection (one’s own troops) enabling a leader to act effectively.

What is happening in the narrative?

A principal warrior—praised as a ‘tiger among men’—mounts his fast chariot drawn by white horses with dark manes and proceeds while being surrounded/escorted by his own forces, signaling an organized advance into battle.