Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तत्‌ सम्पूज्य वचो5क्रूरं सर्वसैन्यानि भारत | मुहूर्तमस्वपन्‌ राजउश्रान्तानि भरतर्षभ,भरतवंशी नरेश! भरतकुलभूषण! अर्जुनके उस क्रूरताशून्य वचनका आदर करके थकी हुई सारी सेनाएँ दो घड़ीतक सोती रहीं

Transliteration

tat sampūjya vaco ’krūraṁ sarvasainyāni bhārata | muhūrtam asvapan rājan uśrāntāni bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, having duly honored that gentle, non-cruel utterance, all the armies—wearied by the strain—slept for a short while, O King, O bull among the Bharatas.”

Word by Word

तत्that (speech/word)

सम्पूज्यhaving honored/respected

वचःspeech, word

अक्रूरम्not cruel, gentle

सर्वसैन्यानिall the armies

भारतO Bharata

मुहूर्तम्for a moment/for a muhurta

अस्वपन्slept

राजन्O king

उश्रान्तानिrested/relieved from fatigue

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by addresses: bhārata, rājan, bharatarṣabha)

Arjuna (implied by the Hindi gloss referring to 'Arjuna’s' gentle words)

the armies (Kaurava and Pāṇḍava forces collectively)

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?

Even amid war, a non-cruel, restrained word can command respect and create space for humane pause; ethical speech has the power to temper violence and restore order.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a gentle, non-harsh statement is respected, the exhausted troops collectively take a brief rest (a muhūrta), marking a momentary lull in the fighting.