Shloka 3

भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal

Devanagari script

ततः काम्बोजमुख्यानां नदीजानां च वाजिनाम्‌ | आरट्टानां महीजानां सिन्धुजानां च सर्वश:

Transliteration

tataḥ kāmbojamukhyānāṁ nadījānāṁ ca vājinām | ārāṭṭānāṁ mahījānāṁ sindhujānāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

Kemudian tampak dari segala penjuru kuda-kuda dari banyak keturunan termasyhur: terutama kuda-kuda Kāmboja, juga kuda-kuda yang dibesarkan di daerah sungai, kuda-kuda Ārāṭṭa, kuda-kuda dari dataran, dan kuda-kuda dari Sindhu.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya

• काम्बोजमुख्यानाम्: of those headed by the Kambojas
• काम्बोजमुख्यानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम्बोजमुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• नदीजानाम्: of river-born (from river regions)
• नदीजानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नदीज (प्रातिपदिक; नदी + ज)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya

• वाजिनाम्: of horses
• वाजिनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• आरट्टानाम्: of the Arattas
• आरट्टानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आरट्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• महीजानाम्: earth-born / land-bred
• महीजानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महीज (प्रातिपदिक; मही + ज)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सिन्धुजानाम्: Sindhu-born (from the Indus region)
• सिन्धुजानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिन्धुज (प्रातिपदिक; सिन्धु + ज)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya

• सर्वशः: on all sides, entirely
• सर्वशः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः (अव्यय; सर्व + शस्)
• Form: Avyaya

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kāmboja
• Sindhu (Indus region)
• Ārāṭṭa
• vājin (horses/steeds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how worldly excellence—here, prized war-horses from famed regions—can be mobilized to magnify violence. It implicitly contrasts material strength and strategic abundance with the ethical burden of war: power and resources are morally neutral, but their use in battle deepens suffering and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the mustering and presence of many superior horses from different regions (Kāmboja, Sindhu, Ārāṭṭa, and others), emphasizing the scale and preparedness of the forces on the battlefield.