Shloka 316

Devanagari script

अशोभेतां यथा देवदैत्यसेने समुद्यते । नरेश्वर! दोनों पक्षोंकी सेनाएँ समरभूमिमें एक-दूसरीसे जूझ रही थीं। उस समय परस्पर युद्धके लिये उद्यत हुई देवसेना और दैत्यसेनाके समान उनकी शोभा हो रही थी

Transliteration

aśobhetāṃ yathā devadaityasene samudyate | nareśvara! ubhayor api pakṣayoḥ senāḥ samarabhumau parasparaṃ yuyudhire | tadā parasparayuddhāya udyatāyā devasenāyāś ca daityasenāyāś ca iva teṣāṃ śobhā babhūva |

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「王よ、神軍と阿修羅軍が戦いに起つとき輝くように、この二つの王軍もまた見事に映った。戦場で彼らは互いに組み合い、両陣営とも戦う決意を満々とし、その武の光はデーヴァとダイティヤの宿命の激突に似ていた—力が力に対するときの戦の壮麗さと危うさを、同時に示す譬えである。」

Word by Word

अशोभेताम्were resplendent / shone

यथाas, just as

देवgod(s)

दैत्यdemon(s), Daitya(s)

सेनेthe two armies

समुद्यतेbeing ready / rising up for (battle)

नरेश्वरO lord of men (king)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Nareśvara (the king, Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Devas

Daityas

two armies (both sides)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the seductive splendour of martial power while implicitly warning that such brilliance often accompanies destructive conflict; when rival forces are equally intent on victory, war takes on a cosmic, deva–daitya scale, reminding the listener to weigh glory against the grave consequences of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to the king how both sides’ armies are locked in mutual combat on the battlefield, and he compares their battle-ready appearance to the legendary confrontation between the armies of the gods and the demons.