Shloka 216

Devanagari script

दुर्योधन: सोमदत्तं परिवार्य समन्तत: । तदनन्तर दुर्योधन एक हजार रथों और दस हजार हाथियोंद्वारा सोमदत्तको चारों ओरसे घेरकर उनकी रक्षा करने लगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanaḥ somadattaṃ parivārya samantataḥ | tadanantaraṃ duryodhana eka-sahasra-rathaiḥ daśa-sahasra-hastibhiś ca somadattaṃ caturdiśaṃ parivārya tasya rakṣāṃ kartum ārabdhavān |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Duryodhana, surrounding Somadatta on all sides, then stationed a vast protective screen—one thousand chariots and ten thousand elephants—encircling him in every direction to ensure his safety. The episode underscores how, amid the chaos of war, leaders prioritize the protection of key allies and commanders, even at great material cost.

Word by Word

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सोमदत्तम्: Somadatta
• सोमदत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमदत्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• परिवार्य: having surrounded/encircled
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-√वृ (वृणोति/वृ)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Active, Prior action (having done)

• समन्ततः: on all sides, all around
• समन्ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः

Speaker

सयजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Somadatta
• chariots
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in warfare, a ruler’s choices reveal priorities: protecting key allies and elders can be seen as loyalty and strategic prudence, but it also highlights the heavy costs and moral weight of sustaining a violent campaign.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana forms a protective encirclement around Somadatta, deploying a large force of chariots and elephants to guard him from attack on all sides.