Shloka 140

Devanagari script

ततः प्रववृते राजन्नस्तंगच्छति भास्करे । द्रोणस्य सोमकै: सार्थ संग्रामो लोमहर्षण:,राजन! तदनन्तर सूर्यास्त होते समय द्रोणाचार्यका सोमकोंके साथ रोमांचकारी संग्राम छिड़ गया

Transliteration

tataḥ pravavṛte rājann astaṃ gacchati bhāskare | droṇasya somakaiḥ sārthaṃ saṅgrāmo lomaharṣaṇaḥ ||

Translation

Sanjaya said: Then, O King, as the Sun was setting, a hair-raising battle broke out between Droṇa and the Somakas. The fading light did not lessen the fury of arms; rather, it marked a grim turning-point where duty to one’s side and the relentless momentum of war drove the combatants onward despite the ominous hour.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रववृतेarose/began

राजन्O king

अस्तम्to setting (west), to disappearance

गच्छतिgoes

भास्करेwhen the sun (Bhāskara) (was setting)

द्रोणस्यof Droṇa

सोमकैःwith the Somakas

सार्थम्together, along with

संग्रामःbattle

लोमहर्षणःhair-raising, thrilling

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

King Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Bhāskara (the Sun)

Droṇa

Somakas

Character 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

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war, once unleashed, gains a momentum that can override natural limits like the coming of night; it implicitly warns that adherence to factional duty without ethical restraint can intensify violence even at ominous, liminal moments such as sunset.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the Sun was setting, a fierce and terrifying engagement began between Droṇa’s forces and the Somakas, signaling a renewed surge of combat at day’s end.