Shloka 356

Devanagari script

रक्षसां घोररूपाणां महत्या सेनया वृत:ः । वह तत्काल ही शूल, मुद्गर, शिलाखण्ड और वृक्ष हाथमें लिये हुए घोररूपधारी राक्षसोंकी विशाल सेनासे घिर गया

Transliteration

rakṣasāṃ ghorarūpāṇāṃ mahatyā senayā vṛtaḥ | sa tatkālaṃ hi śūla-mudgara-śilākhaṇḍa-vṛkṣa-hastaiḥ ghorarūpadhāri-rākṣasaiḥ viśālena sainyena parivṛto 'bhavat |

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。その時、彼は恐るべき姿の羅刹たちの巨大な軍勢に取り囲まれていた。彼らは槍、棍棒、岩塊、そして根こそぎ引き抜いた樹木を手にしていた。この光景は、戦においては剥き出しの力と恐怖の見せつけが突如として迫り、混乱のただ中で武人の胆力と見極めを試すことを物語る。

Word by Word

रक्षसाम्of the rakshasas

घोररूपाणाम्of terrible-formed (ones)

महत्याby/with a great

सेनयाarmy

वृतःsurrounded

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Rākṣasas

śūla (spear)

mudgara (mace)

śilākhaṇḍa (boulder/rock fragment)

vṛkṣa (tree used as a weapon)

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 how warfare amplifies fear and confusion through overwhelming force; the ethical test is to maintain steadiness, judgment, and duty-conscious action even when surrounded by terrifying opponents.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior being encircled by a huge contingent of fearsome rākṣasas carrying crude but devastating weapons—spears, maces, rocks, and uprooted trees—signaling an intense and dangerous turn in the battle.