Shloka 206

Devanagari script

केशेषु समसज्जन्त कवचेषु भुजेषु च । महाराज! रथीलोग रथहीन हो जानेपर परस्पर भिड़कर एक-दूसरेके केश, कवच और बाँहें पकड़कर जूझने लगे

Transliteration

keśeṣu samasajjanta kavaceṣu bhujēṣu ca | mahārāja rathīlōgā rathahīnāḥ paraspraṁ bhiḍitvā anyōnyasya keśān kavacāni bhujāṁś ca gṛhītvā yuyudhire ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「大王よ、車戦の勇士たちが戦車を失うや、互いに間合いを詰め、至近で組み討ちとなった。髪をつかみ、鎧をつかみ、腕を取り、もつれ合って手搏ちの戦いを繰り広げた。」

Word by Word

केशेषुin/onto the hairs (by the hair)

सम्together, completely (preverb)

असज्जन्तthey clung/attached (themselves)

कवचेषुon the armours

भुजेषुon the arms

चand

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

rathī (chariot-warriors)

ratha (chariot)

keśa (hair)

kavaca (armor)

bhuja (arm)

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 underscores the relentless momentum of war: when conventional means (chariots and weapons) fail, combatants still persist, shifting to grappling. Ethically, it highlights how battle can erode distance and restraint, drawing warriors into raw, bodily struggle—an aspect of kṣatriya-dharma’s harsh reality rather than an ideal of compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that many chariot-fighters have lost their chariots. Deprived of mobility and standard chariot warfare, they rush together and fight at close range, grabbing hair, armor, and arms, wrestling and striking in a chaotic melee.