Mahabharata 9.65.31 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 65, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एतावदुक्त्वा वचन बाष्पव्याकुललोचन:

Transliteration

etāvad uktvā vacanaṃ bāṣpa-vyākula-locanaḥ

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇത്ര മാത്രം പറഞ്ഞിട്ട്, കണ്ണുനീരാൽ കലങ്ങിയ കണ്ണുകളോടെ അവൻ മൗനമായി; യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ ഭീകര സംഭവങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ വികാരവേഗത്തിൽ കീഴടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• एतावत्: this much, so much
• एतावत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतावत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: क्त्वा

• वचनम्: speech, words
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बाष्प-व्याकुल-लोचनः: he whose eyes were distressed/blurred with tears
• बाष्प-व्याकुल-लोचनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोचन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the human cost of adharma-driven conflict: even a seasoned narrator like Sañjaya is shaken to tears, underscoring that war’s outcomes are not merely strategic but deeply moral and emotional.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reaches a point where emotion overwhelms him; after saying only a little, his tear-filled eyes signal a pause or break in narration due to grief.