Shloka 59

Devanagari script

हेमदण्डोच्छ्ितच्छत्रे बहुशस्त्रपरिच्छदे । योजयामास विधिवद्धेमभाण्डविभूषितान्‌

Transliteration

hemadaṇḍocchritacchatre bahuśastraparicchade | yojayāmāsa vidhivaddhemabhāṇḍavibhūṣitān ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: With a parasol raised on a golden staff, and with abundant weapons and fittings, he duly harnessed and arrayed them, adorning them with golden trappings—an image of royal splendor set amid the grim orderliness of war.

Word by Word

• हेमदण्डोच्छितच्छत्रे: in/with a parasol raised on a golden staff
• हेमदण्डोच्छितच्छत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमदण्ड-उच्छित-छत्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• बहुशस्त्रपरिच्छदे: in/with abundant weapon-gear/armament
• बहुशस्त्रपरिच्छदे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-शस्त्र-परिच्छद
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• योजयामास: he arranged/yoked/equipped
• योजयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), Third, Singular

• विधिवत्: according to rule, duly
• विधिवत्: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत्

• हेमभाण्डविभूषितान्: adorned with golden vessels/ornaments
• हेमभाण्डविभूषितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम-भाण्ड-विभूषित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• royal parasol (chatra)
• golden staff (hemadaṇḍa)
• weapons (śastra)
• golden trappings/equipment (hemabhāṇḍa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in warfare, actions are portrayed as being done vidhivat—according to prescribed order and discipline—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between outward propriety (royal splendor, correct procedure) and the inner moral weight of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a scene of formal martial preparation: someone (implied from context) is being properly equipped—surrounded by many weapons and fittings—and adorned with golden gear, with the royal parasol raised, signaling command, status, and readiness for battle.