Shloka 66

Devanagari script

नानारूपै रत्नचिट्रैर्वरूथरथकार्मुकै: । वाजिध्वजपताक्‌शभिश्षिन्रैश्षित्रो5भ्यवर्तत

Transliteration

nānārūpair ratnacitrair varūtharathakārmukaiḥ | vājidhvajapatākṣabhis chinnaiś citro 'bhyavartata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then there advanced a wondrous, many-formed spectacle—armoured warriors with chariots and bows adorned with jewel-work, and with horses, banners, and standards torn and broken—moving forward in a confused yet striking mass, revealing the costly splendour of war even as it lay shattered by violence.

Word by Word

• नाना-रूपैः: with various forms
• नाना-रूपैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना-रूप
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• रत्न-चित्रैः: adorned with jewels
• रत्न-चित्रैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत्न-चित्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• वरूथ-रथ-कार्मुकैः: with armours, chariots, and bows
• वरूथ-रथ-कार्मुकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरूथ-रथ-कार्मुक
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• वाजि-ध्वज-पताकाक्षैः: with horses, banners, and pennants
• वाजि-ध्वज-पताकाक्षैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजि-ध्वज-पताकाक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• भिः: (instr. pl. ending)
• भिः: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भिस् (विभक्ति-प्रत्ययः)
• Form: instrumental plural ending already included in the preceding forms; here it appears as a split/orthographic artifact

• शस्त्रैः: with weapons
• शस्त्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• चित्रः: splendid/variegated
• चित्रः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यवर्तत: moved about/advanced towards
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (वर्तते) with अभि-
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• armour (varūtha)
• chariots (ratha)
• bows (kārmuka)
• horses (vāji)
• banners/flags (dhvaja)
• standards/pennants (patākā)
• axles (akṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the paradox of war: even the most splendid instruments of power—gem-studded armour, chariots, and banners—are quickly reduced to broken remnants. It implicitly points to the fragility of worldly grandeur and the heavy cost of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a force (or battlefield scene) advancing in a striking, variegated mass: armoured warriors with jewel-ornamented chariots and bows, alongside horses and banners, many of which are torn or broken—suggesting intense combat and the wreckage of war.