Shloka 53

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

Devanagari script

शुराश्व भद्रकाश्नैव शरकाण्डनिभा हया: । पद्मकिज्जल्कवर्णाभा दण्डधारमुदावहन्‌,शूर, सुन्दर मस्तकवाले, सरकण्डेके पोरुओंके समान श्वेत-गौर तथा कमलके केसरकी भाँति कान्तिमान्‌ घोड़े दण्डधारको रणभूमिमें ले गये

Transliteration

śurāśva-bhadrakāś caiva śarakāṇḍa-nibhā hayāḥ | padma-kiñjalka-varṇābhā daṇḍadhāram udāvahan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Horses named Śurāśva and Bhadraka—white and pale like reeds, and radiant in hue like the filaments of a lotus—bore Daṇḍadhāra away across the battlefield. The verse underscores how, amid the violence of war, swift conveyance and loyal steeds become instruments that preserve a warrior’s life and enable continued duty within the grim demands of kṣatriya conflict.

Word by Word

• शूराश्वभद्रकाश्च: the Śūrāśvas and the Bhadrakas (tribes/warriors)
• शूराश्वभद्रकाश्च: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूराश्व + भद्रक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• शरकाण्डनिभाः: resembling reeds (śara-stalks)
• शरकाण्डनिभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरकाण्ड + निभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हयाः: horses
• हयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पद्मकिञ्जल्कवर्णाभाः: having the hue/lustre of lotus-filaments (golden-tawny)
• पद्मकिञ्जल्कवर्णाभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्म + किञ्जल्क + वर्ण + आभा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दण्डधारम्: Daṇḍadhāra (proper name) / the staff-bearer
• दण्डधारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डधार
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उदावहन्: carried/bore (away/forward)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Daṇḍadhāra
• Śurāśva (horse)
• Bhadraka (horse)
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)