Shloka 19

Devanagari script

त्रिंशदेनं सहस्राणि रथा: काउ्चनमालिन: । सदश्वैरुपसम्पन्ना: पृष्ठतो5नुययुस्तदा

Transliteration

triṁśad enaṁ sahasrāṇi rathāḥ kāñcanamālinaḥ | sadaśvair upasampannāḥ pṛṣṭhato 'nuyayus tadā ||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അവന്റെ പിന്നിൽ ഉത്തമാശ്വങ്ങളാൽ സമ്പന്നവും സ്വർണമാലകളാൽ അലങ്കൃതവുമായ മുപ്പതിനായിരം രഥങ്ങൾ അനുഗമിച്ചു.

Word by Word

त्रिंशत्thirty

एनम्him

सहस्राणिthousands

रथाःchariots

काञ्चनमालिनःwearing golden garlands/ornaments

सदश्वैःwith good horses

उपसम्पन्नाःwell-equipped, furnished

पृष्ठतःfrom behind, at the rear

अनुafter, following

ययुःwent, followed

तदाthen

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

chariots (ratha)

golden garlands/ornaments (kāñcanamālā)

horses (aśva)

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 underscores the scale and preparedness of armed force—external power displayed through numbers, equipment, and ornamentation—inviting reflection on how worldly might and royal pomp can rapidly mobilize in pursuit, often intensifying conflict rather than resolving it through restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna describes a large contingent: thirty thousand chariots, richly adorned and well-horsed, moving in pursuit as a rear-following force, indicating a major mobilization and the seriousness of the unfolding confrontation.