Shloka 6

Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall

Devanagari script

तथा तत्‌ पौरुष॑ राजंस्तावकानां परंतप । प्राप्प पाण्डुसुतान्‌ वीरान्‌ व्यर्थ भवति संयुगे,परंतप! नरेश! जैसे देवनदी गंगाजीका जल स्वादिष्ट होकर भी महासागरके संयोगसे उसीके गुणका सम्मिश्रण हो जानेके कारण खारा हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार आपके पुत्रोंका पुरुषार्थ युद्धमें वीर पाण्डवोंतक पहुँचकर व्यर्थ हो जाता है

Transliteration

tathā tat pauruṣaṁ rājan tāvakānāṁ parantapa | prāpya pāṇḍusutān vīrān vyarthaṁ bhavati saṁyuge ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Demikian pula, wahai raja, penakluk musuh: keberanian pasukanmu, ketika bertemu para putra Pāṇḍu yang gagah dalam pertempuran, menjadi sia-sia—sebagaimana air manis Gaṅgā, setelah menyatu dengan samudra raya, kehilangan kemanisannya dan menjadi asin.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tathā', 'definition': 'thus

• in the same way'}, {'term': 'tat', 'definition': 'that (referring to the just-given comparison)'}, {'term': 'pauruṣam', 'definition': 'manly effort

• prowess'}, {'term': 'rājan', 'definition': 'O king (vocative)'}, {'term': 'tāvakānām', 'definition': 'of yours

• of your side/men (Kauravas)'}, {'term': 'parantapa', 'definition': 'O scorcher of foes (epithet of the king)'}, {'term': 'prāpya', 'definition': 'having reached

• upon encountering'}, {'term': 'pāṇḍusutān', 'definition': 'the sons of Pāṇḍu (the Pāṇḍavas)'}, {'term': 'vīrān', 'definition': 'heroes

• brave warriors'}, {'term': 'vyartham', 'definition': 'in vain

• ineffective'}, {'term': 'bhavati', 'definition': 'becomes

• proves to be'}, {'term': 'saṁyuge', 'definition': 'in battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'rājan' and 'parantapa')
• Kauravas (tāvakāḥ)
• Pāṇḍavas (pāṇḍusutāḥ)
• Gaṅgā (from the given simile/explanatory gloss)
• Ocean/Sea (from the given simile/explanatory gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Mere effort or numerical strength does not guarantee success; when confronted by a superior force (here, the Pāṇḍavas’ heroism), the opponent’s valor can be rendered ineffective—like a river’s sweetness losing its distinctness upon merging into the sea.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that the Kaurava warriors’ attempts in the ongoing battle are being neutralized upon meeting the Pāṇḍavas, emphasizing the Pāṇḍavas’ dominance through a vivid comparison.