Shloka 256

Devanagari script

तेन सेनासमूहेन समानीतेन कौरवै: । कौरवोंद्वारा संग्रह करके वहाँ लाये हुए उस सैन्यसमूहद्वारा सारी पृथ्वी नवयुवकोंसे सूनी-सी हो रही थी। सर्वत्र केवल बालक और बूढ़े ही शेष रह गये थे। सारी वसुधा घोड़े, हाथी, रथ और तरुण पुरुषोंसे हीन-सी हो गयी थी

Transliteration

tena senāsamūhena samānītena kauravaiḥ |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: By that massed host, gathered and brought together by the Kauravas, the earth seemed emptied of its young men. Everywhere only boys and the aged were left behind; the whole land appeared bereft of horses, elephants, chariots, and vigorous youth—an ominous sign of how war drains society of its strength and future.

Word by Word

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• सेना-समूहेन: by the mass of the army
• सेना-समूहेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनासमूह
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• समानीतेन: brought/assembled
• समानीतेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-नी
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• कौरवैः: by the Kauravas
• कौरवैः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Kauravas
• army host (senāsamūha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical and social cost of war: when rulers mobilize vast armies, the land is stripped of its young and able, leaving only the very young and the old—an implicit warning that even ‘duty-bound’ warfare carries grave collective consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the Kauravas’ massive mobilization: their assembled host is so extensive that it makes the earth seem emptied of youth, as men and resources (horses, elephants, chariots) have been drawn into the coming Kurukṣetra conflict.