Shloka 51

Kailāsa-darśana, Badarī-vāsa, and Sarasvatī–Dvaitavana Transition (कैलासदर्शन–बदरीवास–सरस्वतीद्वैतवनगमनम्)

Devanagari script

मीनवाजिसरूपाणां नानाशस्त्रासिपाणिनाम्‌ तथैव यातुधानानां गदामुद्गरधारिणाम्‌

Transliteration

mīnavājisarūpāṇāṃ nānāśastrāsipāṇinām tathaiva yātudhānānāṃ gadāmudgaradhāriṇām

Translation

ಅರ್ಜುನನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ಮೀನು ಮತ್ತು ಕುದುರೆ ರೂಪಗಳನ್ನು ಧರಿಸಿದವರನ್ನು ಕಂಡೆನು; ಅವರ ಕೈಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನಾ ವಿಧದ ಶಸ್ತ್ರಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಖಡ್ಗಗಳು ಇದ್ದವು; ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಗದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಮುದುಗರಗಳನ್ನು ಹಿಡಿದ ರಾಕ್ಷಸಸ್ವಭಾವ ಯಾತುಧಾನರನ್ನೂ ಕಂಡೆನು.”

Word by Word

मीनवाजि-सरूपाणाम्of those having forms like fish and horses

नाना-शस्त्र-असि-पाणिनाम्of those whose hands bear various weapons and swords

तथाlikewise/so

एवindeed/just

यातुधानानाम्of the rākṣasas/demons (yātudhānas)

गदा-मुद्गर-धारिणाम्of those bearing maces and hammers/clubs

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

mīna (fish-forms)

vāji (horse-forms)

yātudhāna (demonic beings)

śastra (weapons)

asi (sword)

gadā (mace)

mudgara (club)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the bewildering, fearsome diversity of hostile forces—some grotesquely hybrid and heavily armed—testing a hero’s steadiness. Ethically, it points to the need for courage and discernment when confronted with terrifying appearances and violent intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is describing what he sees: strange beings with fish- and horse-like forms carrying assorted weapons and swords, and yātudhānas (demonic adversaries) wielding maces and clubs—an ominous depiction of a threatening, otherworldly martial scene.