Shloka 5

Chapter 19: Prativyūha of the Pāṇḍavas — Vajra (Acala) Formation and Dawn Omens

Devanagari script

सूचीमुखमनीकं स्यादल्पानां बहुभि: सह । अस्माकं च तथा सैन्यमल्पीय: सुतरां परै:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

sūcīmukham anīkaṃ syād alpānāṃ bahubhiḥ saha |

asmākaṃ ca tathā sainyam alpīyaḥ sutarāṃ paraiḥ ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「少数の軍が多数に対するなら、『スーチীমुख（針の尖端）』と呼ばれる陣形がふさわしいであろう。しかも実際、我らの軍は敵軍に比してはるかに—甚だしく—少ないのだ。」

Word by Word

• सूचीमुखमनीकम्: the needle-point (सूचीमुख) battle-array (formation)
• सूचीमुखमनीकम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूचीमुखमनीक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be / may be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अल्पानाम्: of the few (men)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• बहुभिः: with/by the many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

• अस्माकम्: of us / our
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तथा: so / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• सैन्यम्: army
• सैन्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अल्पीयः: smaller / fewer
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्पीयस् (अल्प + ईयसुँ)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सुतराम्: much / exceedingly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सुतराम्

• परैः: than/with the others (the enemies)
• परैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sūcīmukha (vyūha/battle formation)
• our army (Kaurava host, implied)
• the enemy/opponents (Pāṇḍava host, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights strategic discernment and truthful assessment: when outnumbered, one should adopt a formation meant to pierce and concentrate force rather than spread thin—an ethical realism in counsel during war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield situation, notes that the Kaurava side is numerically inferior and therefore suggests (or reports the suitability of) the Sūcīmukha (‘needle-point’) formation for a smaller force facing a larger enemy host.