Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 45

Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57

Devanagari script

आश्चर्य चापि तद्‌ राजन्‌ सर्वसैन्यान्यपूजयन्‌

Transliteration

āścaryaṃ cāpi tad rājan sarvasainyāny apūjayan

Translation

ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಓ ರಾಜನೇ! ಅದು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯವೇ—ಅವರು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಸೇನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಗೌರವಿಸಿದರು.

Word by Word

• आश्चर्यम्: a wonder, marvel
• आश्चर्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सर्वसैन्यानि: all the armies/troops
• सर्वसैन्यानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वसैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अपूपजयन्: they honored, paid homage to
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by rājan)
• armies/troops (sainyāni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even within warfare, conduct is expected to follow a code: honoring troops reflects royal responsibility, maintenance of morale, and a dharmic emphasis on order and respect rather than mere violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that a surprising event occurred: all the armies were honored—suggesting a formal act of recognition or ceremonial respect taking place amid the ongoing conflict.