Shloka 23

Adhyāya 140: Rātriyuddhe Droṇa-prāpti-prayatnaḥ

Night engagement and the attempt to reach Droṇa

Devanagari script

तनुत्रै: सतलन्ैश्न हारैरनिष्किैश्व भारत । व्स्त्रैश्छत्रैश्न विध्वस्तैशज्ञामरव्यजनैरपि

Transliteration

tanutraiḥ satalaiś ca hārair aniṣkaiś ca bhārata | vastraiś chatraiś ca vidhvastaiś cāmaravyajanair api ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ພາຣະຕະ! ທົ່ງຮົບນັ້ນເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍເກາະປ້ອງກັນແລະໝວກເຫຼັກທີ່ແຕກພັງ, ສາຍຄໍແລະເຄື່ອງປະດັບຄໍາທີ່ຫັກພັງ; ເສື້ອຜ້າຂາດຮຸ່ງ, ຮົ່ມທີ່ພັງທະລາຍ, ແມ່ນແຕ່ພັດຫາງຢັກ (ຈາມະຣະ) ແລະພັດມືກໍຕົກກະຈາຍ. ພາບນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນວ່າ ສົງຄາມເຮັດໃຫ້ຄວາມສະຫງ່າລາສີແລະເຄື່ອງໝາຍແຫ່ງກຽດສັກສີກາຍເປັນເສດຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອ, ເປີດເຜີຍຄວາມບໍ່ໝັ້ນຄົງຂອງສະຖານະໂລກີຍໃນທ່າມກາງການຂ້າຟັນ.

Word by Word

तनुत्रैःwith body-guards/armours

सतलैःwith coverings/plates (protective layers)

हारैःwith necklaces/garlands

अनिष्कैःwith (gold) ornaments/coins (niṣka-type)

चand

भारतO Bhārata

वस्त्रैःwith garments

छत्रैःwith umbrellas

विध्वस्तैःshattered/destroyed

चामरव्यजनैःwith yak-tail fans and hand-fans

अपिalso/even

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

armor (tanutra)

helmets (satalā)

necklaces (hāra)

gold ornaments (aniṣka)

garments (vastra)

parasols (chatra)

cāmara-fans (cāmaravyajana)

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 highlights the impermanence of worldly grandeur: symbols of rank—armor, ornaments, parasols, and royal fans—are reduced to wreckage in war, implying an ethical warning against pride and attachment amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the aftermath on the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizing the scattered, destroyed equipment and royal insignia, conveying the scale of devastation during the fighting in Droṇa Parva.