Shloka 363

Devanagari script

तां प्राविशन्नतिभयां सेनां युद्धचिकीर्षव: । युद्ध करनेकी इच्छावाले सैनिकोंने उस अत्यन्त भयंकर सेनामें प्रवेश किया, जो मेघोंकी घटाके समान जान पड़ती थी। दुर्योधन उसके लिये पुरवैया हवाके समान था। रथ और हाथी बादलोंके दल थे। रणवाद्योंकी गम्भीर ध्वनि मेघोंकी गर्जनाके समान जान पड़ती थी। धनुष और ध्वज बिजलीके समान चमक रहे थे। द्रोणाचार्य और पाण्डव पर्जन्यका काम देते थे। खड़ग, शक्ति और गदाका आघात ही वज्रपात था। बाणरूपी जलकी वहाँ वर्षा होती थी। अस्त्र ही पवनके समान प्रतीत होते थे। सर्दी और गर्मीसे व्याप्त हुई वह अत्यन्त भयंकर उग्र सेना सबको विस्मयमें डालनेवाली और योद्धाओंके जीवनका उच्छेद करनेवाली थी। उससे पार होनेके लिये नौकास्वरूप कोई साधन नहीं था

Transliteration

tāṁ prāviśann atibhayāṁ senāṁ yuddhacikīrṣavaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Eager to engage in battle, the warriors entered that exceedingly terrifying host. It appeared like a dense mass of storm-clouds: Duryodhana was like the driving wind for it; chariots and elephants were its clustered clouds; the deep roar of war-drums was like thunder; bows and banners flashed like lightning. Droṇa and the Pāṇḍavas seemed to play the role of Parjanya, the rain-god; the blows of swords, spears, and maces were like thunderbolts; there was a downpour of arrow-water; and the weapons moved like gusting winds. That fierce army—filled with the extremes of cold and heat—astonished all and cut down the lives of fighters; and there was no boat-like means by which to cross beyond it.

Word by Word

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• प्राविशन्: entered
• प्राविशन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• अतिभयाम्: exceedingly terrifying
• अतिभयाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिभया
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सेनाम्: army
• सेनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• युद्धचिकीर्षवः: desiring to fight
• युद्धचिकीर्षवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युद्ध-चिकीर्षु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Droṇācārya
• Pāṇḍavas
• Parjanya
• army (senā)
• chariots (ratha)
• elephants (hastin/gaja)
• war-drums/war-instruments (raṇavādya)
• bows (dhanus)
• banners (dhvaja)
• swords (khaḍga)
• spears/lances (śakti)
• maces (gadā)
• arrows (bāṇa)
• weapons/missiles (astra)
• boat (naukā)
• clouds (megha)
• wind (vāyu/pavana)
• lightning (vidyut)
• thunder (garjana)
• thunderbolt (vajra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the overwhelming, impersonal force of war: once unleashed, it becomes like a storm that astonishes and consumes lives, offering no easy ‘boat’ to cross it. Ethically, it hints at the tragic cost of martial ambition—war is not merely heroism but a destructive natural force that engulfs all.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes warriors entering a terrifying battle formation. He paints the Kaurava host as a monsoon storm—Duryodhana as the driving wind, chariots and elephants as cloud-masses, drums as thunder, banners and bows as lightning, and volleys of arrows as rain—conveying the scale and lethal intensity of the fighting.