Shloka 31
Devanagari script
नापश्याम ततत्त्वेनं सैन्ये वै रजसावृते
Transliteration
nāpaśyāma tatattvenaṃ sainye vai rajasāvṛte
Translation
Sañjaya said: In that army, veiled by the dust of battle, we could not clearly discern him in his true state and position. The confusion of war obscured accurate perception, making certainty difficult amid the turmoil.
Word by Word
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
अपश्यामI saw
अपश्याम:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootदृश्
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada
तत्that
तत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
तत्त्वेनin truth / truly
तत्त्वेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootतत्त्व
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
सैन्येin the army
सैन्ये:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootसैन्य
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
वैindeed
वै:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै
रजसाby dust
रजसा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootरजस्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
आवृतेcovered / enveloped
आवृते:
Adhikarana
TypeAdjective
Rootआवृत
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaA
army (sainya)D
dust (rajas)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
The verse highlights how the conditions of conflict—dust, agitation, and chaos—distort perception. Ethically, it suggests caution in judgment during turmoil: when clarity is obstructed, certainty about persons and events becomes unreliable.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, amid the dust-choked battlefield and the press of armies, they could not clearly make out the person being referred to (him) in a definite, truthful way.