Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 194 Shloka 2 - Mahabharata | French | Vedapath

Vyasa

←Previous Verse

Next Verse→

Shloka 2

Devanagari script

आप्लाव्य शुचय: सर्वे स्रग्विण: शुक्लवासस: । गृहीतशस्त्रा ध्वजिन: स्वस्ति वाच्य हुताग्नय:

Transliteration

āplāvya śucayaḥ sarve sragviṇaḥ śuklavāsasaḥ | gṛhītaśastrā dhvajinaḥ svasti vācya hutāgnayaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Après s’être baignés et purifiés, tous revêtirent des vêtements blancs et portèrent des guirlandes. Puis, après avoir fait réciter par les brāhmaṇa des bénédictions de bon augure et offert des oblations au feu sacré, ils se mirent en route vers le champ de bataille—étendards levés, armes en main.

Word by Word

आप्लाव्यhaving bathed/washed (themselves)

शुचयःpure/clean

सर्वेall

स्रग्विणःwearing garlands

शुक्लवाससःclad in white garments

गृहीतशस्त्राःhaving taken up weapons

ध्वजिनःbearing banners/standards

स्वस्तिwell-being; auspiciousness

वाच्यto be recited/uttered

हुताग्नयःthose who have offered into the fire / who have performed fire-offerings

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

weapons (śastra)

banners/standards (dhvaja)

brāhmaṇas (implied by svasti-vācya)

sacred fire (agni)

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?

The verse underscores that major actions—especially violent ones—are framed within ritual order: purification, auspicious benedictions, and fire-offerings seek to align human intent with dharma and communal legitimacy, even as the narrative moves toward conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group prepares to depart for battle: they bathe, dress in white, wear garlands, arrange for brāhmaṇas to recite blessings, offer oblations into the fire, then march out with banners raised and weapons taken up.