Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तद्‌ दृष्टवोपस्थितं युद्ध समासन्न॑ं महात्ययम्‌

Transliteration

tad dṛṣṭvopasthitaṃ yuddhaṃ samāsannaṃ mahātyayam

Translation

ആ മഹാവിപത്തുണ്ടാക്കുന്ന യുദ്ധം അത്യന്തം സമീപം—ഏതാണ്ട് നേരെ മുന്നിൽ—വന്നിരിക്കുന്നതായി കണ്ടപ്പോൾ, ഇനി സംഘർഷം ഒരു ആശയംമാത്രമല്ല; ഒഴിവാക്കാനാവാത്ത പ്രതിസന്ധിയാണെന്നും അതിന്റെ ധാർമ്മികവും മാനുഷികവുമായ ഫലങ്ങൾ അതിഗുരുതരമാണെന്നും വ്യക്തമായി।

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (अव्यय-भाव), कर्तरि

• उपस्थितम्: present; arrived; standing near
• उपस्थितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-स्था (धातु) → उपस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समासन्नम्: imminent; close at hand
• समासन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-सद् (धातु) → समासन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महात्ययम्: great calamity/disaster
• महात्ययम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• yuddha (the war)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical weight of war: when conflict becomes imminent, it is recognized not merely as a political event but as a 'mahātyaya'—a great calamity—implying that leaders and parties bear heightened responsibility for the consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, marks a turning point: the prospect of battle has become immediate and unavoidable, setting the stage for decisions and actions taken under the shadow of impending catastrophe.