Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 17
अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
Devanagari script
धार्रराष्ट्रा हि राजेन्द्र योधास्तु स्वल्पमन्तरम्
Transliteration
dhārtarāṣṭrā hi rājendra yodhās tu svalpam antaram
Translation
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ, ധാർത്തരാഷ്ട്ര യോദ്ധാക്കൾ തമ്മിൽ വെറും അല്പദൂരം മാത്രമേ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നുള്ളൂ।
Word by Word
धार्तराष्ट्राःthe Dhārtarāṣṭras (sons/men of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
धार्तराष्ट्राः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootधार्तराष्ट्र
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
हिindeed/for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
राजेन्द्रO king of kings
राजेन्द्र:
TypeNoun
Rootराजेन्द्र
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
योधाःwarriors
योधाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootयोध
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
स्वल्पम्a little/short
स्वल्पम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootस्वल्प
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
अन्तरम्interval/gap
अन्तरम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootअन्तर
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaD
DhṛtarāṣṭraD
Dhārtarāṣṭra warriors (Kauravas)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
The verse underscores how quickly conflict escalates when opposing forces stand close—small physical distance mirrors the narrowing moral and strategic space for restraint, making vigilance and wise counsel crucial in war.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava (Dhārtarāṣṭra) fighters are positioned with only a slight gap—signaling an imminent clash and heightening the urgency of the battlefield situation.