Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विशोक उवाच सर्व विदित्वैवमहं वदामि तवार्थसिद्धिप्रदमद्य वीर ।। कैकेयकाम्बोजसुराष्ट्रबाह्लिका म्लेच्छाश्व सुह्या: परतड्रणाश्न । मद्राश्न वड़ा मगधा: कुलिन्दा आनर्तकावर्तका: पर्वतीया: ।। सर्वे गृहीतप्रवरायुधास्त्वां संख्ये समावेष्ट्य ततो विनेदु: ।।) विशोकने कहा--वीर! मैं आज सब कुछ पता लगाकर आपके मनोरथकी सिद्धि करनेवाली बात बता रहा हूँ, कैकेय, काम्बोज, सौराष्ट्र, बाह्लिक, म्लेच्छ, सुह्य, परतंगण, मद्र, वंग, मगध, कुलिन्द, आनर्त, आवर्त और पर्वतीय सभी योद्धा हाथोंमें श्रेष्ठ आयुध लिये आपको चारों ओरसे घेरकर युद्धस्थलमें शत्रुओंका सामना करनेके लिये गरज रहे हैं। षण्मार्गणानामयुतानि वीर क्षुराश्न भल्लाश्न तथायुताख्या: । नाराचानां द्वे सहस्ने च वीर त्रीण्येव च प्रदराणां सम पार्थ,वीरवर! अभी अपने पास साठ हजार मार्गण हैं, दस-दस हजार क्षुर और भल्ल हैं, दो हजार नाराच शेष हैं तथा पार्थ! तीन हजार प्रदर बाकी रह गये हैं

Transliteration

viśoka uvāca—sarvaṃ viditvaivāhaṃ vadāmi tavārthasiddhipradam adya vīra || kaikeyakāmbojasurāṣṭrabāhlikā mlecchāśva-suhyāḥ parataṅgaṇāś ca | madrāś ca vaṅgā magadhāḥ kulindā ānartakāvartakāḥ parvatīyāḥ || sarve gṛhīta-pravarāyudhās tvāṃ saṅkhye samāveṣṭya tato vineduḥ || ṣaṇmārgaṇānām ayutāni vīra kṣurāṇāṃ bhallānāṃ tathāyutāni | nārācānāṃ dve sahasre ca vīra trīṇy eva ca pradarāṇāṃ samāni pārtha ||

Translation

Viśoka said: “Having ascertained everything, O hero, I will tell you today what will bring about the fulfillment of your purpose. The warriors of Kaikeya, Kāmboja, Saurāṣṭra, Bāhlīka, the Mlecchas, the Suhyas, the Parataṅgaṇas, the Madras, the Vaṅgas, the Magadhas, the Kulindas, the Ānartas, the Āvartakas, and the mountain-dwellers—each bearing excellent weapons—have surrounded you on the battlefield and are roaring, eager to face the enemy. And, O valiant Pārtha, you still have sixty thousand arrows; ten thousand razor-headed shafts and ten thousand bhallas; two thousand nārācas; and three thousand pradaras remaining.”

Word by Word

विशोकःViśoka (name)

उवाचsaid

सर्वम्everything

विदित्वाhaving known

एवindeed/just

अहम्I

वदामिI speak/tell

तवof you/for you

अर्थ-सिद्धि-प्रदम्granting success of your purpose

अद्यtoday/now

वीरO hero

कैकेय-काम्बोज-सुराष्ट्र-बाह्लिकाःKaikeyas, Kambojas, Saurāṣṭras, Bāhlikas

म्लेच्छाःMlecchas (foreign tribes)

सुह्याःSuhyas (a people)

परतङ्गणाःParataṅgaṇas (a people)

मद्राःMadrās

वङ्गाःVaṅgas

मगधाःMagadhas

कुलिन्दाःKulindas

आनर्त-कावर्तकाःĀnartas and Āvartakas

पर्वतीयाःmountain-dwellers

सर्वेall

गृहीत-प्रवर-आयुधाःhaving taken up excellent weapons

त्वाम्you

संख्येin battle

समावेष्ट्यhaving surrounded

ततःthen/thereupon

विनेदुःroared/shouted

Speaker

विशोक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Viśoka

Pārtha (Arjuna)

Kaikeya

Kāmboja

Saurāṣṭra

Bāhlīka

Mleccha

Suhya

Parataṅgaṇa

Madra

Vaṅga

Magadha

Kulinda

Ānarta

Āvartaka

Parvatīya (mountain-dwellers)

āyudha (weapons)

mārgaṇa (arrows)

kṣura (razor-headed arrows)

bhalla (arrows)

nārāca (iron arrows)

pradara (missiles)

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?

The passage emphasizes the practical dharma of a warrior in war: accurate knowledge of forces and resources, steadfastness amid encirclement, and readiness grounded in clear assessment rather than panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Viśoka reports that many regional contingents have surrounded Pārtha (Arjuna) and are shouting for battle, and he also provides a logistical inventory of the missiles still available—different types of arrows and their remaining numbers.