Shloka 17

अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः

Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle

Devanagari script

नागदत्तो दृढरथो महाबाहुरयोभुज:

Transliteration

Nāgadatto Dṛḍharatho mahābāhur ayobhujaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Nāgadatta and Dṛḍharatha—mighty-armed warriors with iron-like strength—(stood forth/advanced).” The line functions as a martial catalogue, highlighting the formidable human instruments of war and the ethical tension of valor being employed in a destructive conflict.

Word by Word

• नागदत्तः: Nāgadatta (name; ‘given by a serpent/elephant’)
• नागदत्तः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागदत्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दृढरथः: Dṛḍharatha (name; ‘firm-chariot/steadfast in chariot’)
• दृढरथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृढरथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाबाहुः: mighty-armed
• महाबाहुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अयोभुजः: iron-armed / having arms like iron
• अयोभुजः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयोभुज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nāgadatta
• Dṛḍharatha
• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how epic warfare is driven by individual prowess and reputation; it invites reflection on the ethical ambiguity of strength—virtue as valor can become morally fraught when harnessed for mass violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is listing notable warriors present/engaged in the battle, identifying Nāgadatta and Dṛḍharatha as exceptionally powerful fighters, thereby intensifying the sense of the conflict’s scale and danger.