Shloka 12

द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake

Devanagari script

अश्वैरविपरिधावद्धिः सैन्येन रजसा वृते

Transliteration

aśvair aviparidhāvaddhiḥ sainyena rajasā vṛte

Translation

Sañjaya said: “With horses rushing about in every direction, the army became enveloped in a cloud of dust.”

Word by Word

• अश्वैः: by horses
• अश्वैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अविपरिधावद्भिः: running about, rushing around
• अविपरिधावद्भिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-परि-धाव (धातु: धाव्)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सैन्येन: by/with the army
• सैन्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• रजसा: by dust
• रजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वृते: covered, enveloped
• वृते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृ (धातु: वृञ्/वृ— ‘to cover, surround’)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horses
• army
• dust

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the momentum of war creates literal and moral obscuration: dust raised by uncontrolled movement symbolizes how clarity and discernment can be veiled amid violence and haste.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: horses are charging and wheeling about, and the resulting dust cloud blankets the army, reducing visibility and intensifying confusion.