Shloka 166

Devanagari script

संकुला च तदा भूमिश्नषतुरड्गरबलान्विता । राजन! इस प्रकार कौरवों तथा पाण्डवोंके उद्देश्यसे दूर-दूरके नरेश अपनी सेना लेकर प्रस्थान करने लगे। इनकी चतुरंगिणी सेनासे सारी पृथ्वी व्याप्त हुई-सी जान पड़ने लगी

Transliteration

saṅkulā ca tadā bhūmiḥ caturaṅga-bala-anvitā | rājan, kaurava-pāṇḍavayoḥ prayojanārthaṃ dūra-dūrebhyo nṛpāḥ sva-senābhiḥ prasthātuṃ pracakramuḥ | teṣāṃ caturaṅgiṇībhiḥ senābhiḥ sarvā pṛthivī vyāptā iva babhūva |

Translation

វៃសម្បាយនៈបានមានព្រះបន្ទូលថា៖ «នៅពេលនោះ ផែនដីក៏កកកុញ ពោរពេញដោយកងទ័ពចតុរង្គ—រទេះសង្គ្រាម ដំរី សេះ និងថ្មើរជើង។ ឱ ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ដើម្បីគាំទ្រកូរុ និងបណ្ឌវ ព្រះមហាក្សត្រពីឆ្ងាយៗបានចេញដំណើរជាមួយកម្លាំងរបស់ខ្លួន។ ដោយកងទ័ពចតុរង្គទាំងនោះ ហាក់ដូចពិភពលោកទាំងមូលត្រូវគ្របដណ្តប់—ជាសញ្ញាអពមង្គលថាជម្លោះក្នុងរាជវង្សអាចទាញអាណាចក្រទាំងឡាយចូលក្នុងសំណាញ់សង្គ្រាមដែលកំពុងពង្រីក»។

Word by Word

संकुलाcrowded, dense

चand

तदाthen, at that time

भूमिःthe earth, ground

चतुरङ्गरबलान्विताendowed with an army of four divisions (chariots, elephants, cavalry, infantry)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Kauravas

Pāṇḍavas

nṛpāḥ (various kings)

caturaṅga-bala (fourfold army)

bhūmi/pṛthivī (the earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A private dispute among rulers can rapidly become a universal calamity: when power, loyalty, and ambition mobilize, the whole world is drawn into violence. The verse implicitly warns that adharma in leadership multiplies suffering far beyond the original quarrel.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the Kurukṣetra war approaches, kings from distant lands begin marching with their fourfold armies to support either the Kauravas or the Pāṇḍavas. The scale is so vast that the earth appears crowded and covered by troops.