Shloka 37

दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra

Devanagari script

ते वध्यमाना: समरे तावका: पाण्डवैर्नप । विप्राकीर्यन्त सहसा वातनुन्ना घना इव,नरेश्वरर समरभूमिमें पाण्डवोंकी मार खाकर आपके सैनिक हवाके उड़ाये हुए बादलोंके समान सहसा छिन्न-भिन्न होकर बिखर गये

Transliteration

te vadhyamānāḥ samare tāvakāḥ pāṇḍavair nṛpa | viprākīryanta sahasā vātanunnā ghanā iva ||

Translation

Wahai raja, ketika pasukanmu ditebas habis dalam pertempuran oleh para Pāṇḍava, mereka seketika tercerai-berai ke segala arah—laksana gumpalan awan yang dihamburkan angin.

Word by Word

तेthey/those

वध्यमानाःbeing slain/being struck down

समरेin battle

तावकाःyour (men)/belonging to you

पाण्डवैःby the Pandavas

नृपO king

विप्राकीर्यन्तwere scattered/dispersed

सहसाsuddenly/at once

वातनुन्नाःdriven by the wind

घनाःclouds

इवlike/as if

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (nṛpa)

Pāṇḍavas

Kaurava troops (tāvakāḥ)

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 a moral-psychological truth of war: when an army loses righteousness, confidence, and cohesion, it collapses quickly under pressure. Strength is not only numbers and weapons but also discipline, purpose, and dharmic resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava soldiers, struck down by the Pāṇḍavas in the fight, break formation and scatter suddenly, compared to clouds torn apart by a strong wind.