Shloka 24
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
Devanagari script
प्रयाणे मद्रराजो5भून्मुखं व्यूहस्य दंशित:
Transliteration
prayāṇe madrarājo 'bhūn mukhaṃ vyūhasya daṃśitaḥ
Translation
સંજય બોલ્યા—સેના પ્રસ્થાન કરતી વેળાએ મદ્રરાજ વ્યૂહના અગ્રભાગમાં હતો—જાણે દંશ કરવા તત્પર દાંતની નોક.
Word by Word
प्रयाणेat the departure/march
प्रयाणे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootप्रयाण
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
मद्रराजःthe king of Madra (Shalya)
मद्रराजः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमद्रराज
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अभूत्became/was
अभूत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormAorist (simple past), 3rd, Singular
मुखम्the front/foremost position
मुखम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootमुख
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
व्यूहस्यof the battle-array/formation
व्यूहस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootव्यूह
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
दंशितःarmed/accoutred (lit. furnished with weapons/armor)
दंशितः:
TypeAdjective
Rootदंशित
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaM
Madrarāja (Śalya)M
MadraV
vyūha (battle-array)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
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of assuming responsibility at the most perilous point: true leadership in war is shown by taking the foremost position, strengthening the army’s morale and giving the formation a decisive, disciplined edge.
As the forces move out, Śalya—king of Madra—takes the lead at the front of the Kaurava battle-array. The imagery of a ‘fang’ suggests an aggressive, sharpened vanguard meant to strike first and break the enemy line.