Shloka 15
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
Devanagari script
त॑ तु पाटलिपुष्पाणां समवर्णा हयोत्तमा:
Transliteration
taṁ tu pāṭalipuṣpāṇāṁ samavarṇā hayottamāḥ
Translation
サञ्जयは言った。「その優れた馬たちは、パータリの花の色と同じ色合いであった。」
Word by Word
तत्that (one)
तत्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
पाटलि-पुष्पाणाम्of pātali-flowers (trumpet-flower blossoms)
पाटलि-पुष्पाणाम्:
TypeNoun
Rootपाटलि-पुष्प
FormNeuter, Genitive, Plural
सम-वर्णःof the same color
सम-वर्णः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसमवर्ण
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
हय-उत्तमःthe best of horses
हय-उत्तमः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootहयोत्तम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
स
संजय (Sañjaya)ह
हय (horses)प
पाटलि-पुष्प (pāṭali blossoms)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse does not state a direct moral injunction; instead it uses refined natural imagery to frame martial power. By likening war-horses to pāṭali blossoms, the epic suggests how beauty and auspicious symbolism can coexist with—and even intensify—the gravity of dharmic conflict.
Sañjaya is describing a chariot’s horse-team (or a notable set of horses) in the Drona Parva battle narrative, emphasizing their striking, uniform color—like pāṭali flowers—thereby highlighting the grandeur and distinctiveness of the warrior’s equipment in the midst of combat.