Shloka 17
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
Devanagari script
नागदत्तो दृढरथो महाबाहुरयोभुज:
Transliteration
Nāgadatto Dṛḍharatho mahābāhur ayobhujaḥ
Translation
Sañjaya berkata: “Nāgadatta dan Dṛḍharatha—para kesatria berlengan perkasa, sekuat besi—maju ke depan.”
Word by Word
नागदत्तःNāgadatta (name; ‘given by a serpent/elephant’)
नागदत्तः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनागदत्त
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
दृढरथःDṛḍharatha (name; ‘firm-chariot/steadfast in chariot’)
दृढरथः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootदृढरथ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
महाबाहुःmighty-armed
महाबाहुः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमहाबाहु
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अयोभुजःiron-armed / having arms like iron
अयोभुजः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअयोभुज
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
N
NāgadattaD
DṛḍharathaS
SañjayaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how epic warfare is driven by individual prowess and reputation; it invites reflection on the ethical ambiguity of strength—virtue as valor can become morally fraught when harnessed for mass violence.
Sañjaya is listing notable warriors present/engaged in the battle, identifying Nāgadatta and Dṛḍharatha as exceptionally powerful fighters, thereby intensifying the sense of the conflict’s scale and danger.