Shloka 41

Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava

Devanagari script

ददृशे पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैन्यमार्तस्वरं तदा । प्रभज्यमान सैन्यं तु दृष्टवा यादवनन्दन:

Transliteration

dadṛśe pāṇḍuputrasya sainyam ārta-svaraṃ tadā | prabhajyamānaṃ sainyaṃ tu dṛṣṭvā yādava-nandanaḥ ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ പാണ്ഡുപുത്രന്റെ സൈന്യം ആർ‍ത്തസ്വരങ്ങൾ ഉയർത്തുന്നതായി കണ്ടു; യാദവനന്ദനൻ (കൃഷ്ണൻ) ആ സൈന്യം തകർന്നുപോകുന്നത് കണ്ടപ്പോൾ യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ സ്ഥിതി അത്യന്തം ഗൗരവമായി മാറി.

Word by Word

ददृशेwas seen / appeared

पाण्डु-पुत्रस्यof the son of Pāṇḍu (i.e., of the Pāṇḍava)

सैन्यम्the army

आर्त-स्वरम्having a distressed cry / wailing

तदाthen

प्रभज्यमानम्being broken / being routed

सैन्यम्the army

तुbut / indeed

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

यादव-नन्दनःthe delight of the Yādavas (Kṛṣṇa)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍuputra (Arjuna/Pāṇḍavas)

Pāṇḍava army

Yādavanandana (Kṛṣṇa)

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?

Even in a righteous cause, war produces fear and suffering; the ethical test is whether leaders and warriors maintain discipline, clarity of purpose, and adherence to dharma when their side appears to falter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava host is crying out in distress and is being broken; Kṛṣṇa (the Yādavas’ beloved) observes this worsening situation, marking a moment of battlefield crisis.