Shloka 28
सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies
Devanagari script
न हास्तिनपुरे राजन्नवकाशो5भवत् तदा
Transliteration
na hāstinapure rājann avakāśo 'bhavat tadā
Translation
Waiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, pada waktu itu di Hastināpura tidak tersisa ruang—tak ada lagi kelonggaran maupun tempat.”
Word by Word
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
हास्तिनपुरेin Hastinapura
हास्तिनपुरे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootहास्तिनपुर
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
राजन्O king
राजन्:
TypeNoun
Rootराजन्
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
अवकाशःspace; opportunity; room
अवकाशः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअवकाश
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अभवत्was; became; existed
अभवत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
तदाthen; at that time
तदा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा
Speaker
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśaṃpāyanaH
HastināpuraK
King (rājan)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
When a polity becomes rigid through pride, fear, or factionalism, even righteous counsel finds no ‘avakāśa’ (space). The verse highlights how ethical resolution requires openness; without it, conflict hardens toward war.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a moment in the Udyoga Parva where conditions in Hastināpura are so constrained—socially and politically—that there is no room for alternative action or conciliatory measures, signaling mounting tension before open hostilities.