Shloka 76

Devanagari script

अपरावर्तिन: शूरा: सुवर्णविकृतध्वजा: । संग्रामे भीष्ममासाद्य सवाजिरथकुज्जरा:

Transliteration

aparāvartinaḥ śūrāḥ suvarṇa-vikṛta-dhvajāḥ | saṅgrāme bhīṣmam āsādya savāji-ratha-kuñjarāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Para kesatria gagah yang tak pernah mundur, dengan panji-panji berhias emas, maju di medan laga dan mendekati Bhīṣma—bersama kuda, kereta, dan gajah-gajah perang.

Word by Word

अपरावर्तिनःnot turning back, unretreating

शूराःheroes, brave men

सुवर्णविकृतध्वजाःwhose banners are fashioned/ornamented with gold

संग्रामेin battle

भीष्मम्Bhishma

आसाद्यhaving approached, reaching

सwith

वाजिhorse

रथchariot

कुञ्जराःelephants

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

banners/standards (dhvaja)

horses (vāji)

chariots (ratha)

war-elephants (kuñjara)

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 highlights steadfastness (aparāvartinaḥ) and disciplined courage in the face of danger, while also reminding the reader that martial splendor (golden banners, vast mounts) accompanies a morally weighty arena where duty and consequence are inseparable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes warriors who do not retreat, marked by ornate golden standards, moving into combat and pressing toward Bhīṣma, supported by the full apparatus of war—horses, chariots, and elephants—signaling an intense engagement around the Kuru commander.