Shloka 28

Devanagari script

समभ्यधावन्त भृशं कालदण्डैरिवोद्यतै: । नर्दन्तश्नाह्नयन्तश्न प्रवल्गन्तश्न मारिष,माननीय नरेश! कमर कसे, कवच बाँधे तथा शिरस्त्राण एवं आभूषण धारण किये हुए महाबली योद्धा गरजते, उछलते-कूदते और एक-दूसरेको ललकारते हुए कालदण्डके समान गदा, मूसल और परिघ उठाये परस्पर धावा बोल रहे थे

Transliteration

saṃabhyadhāvanta bhṛśaṃ kāladaṇḍair ivodyataiḥ | nardantaś cāhvayantaś ca pravalgaṃtaś ca māriṣa ||

Translation

माननीय नरेश! कालदंडासमान उंचावलेल्या शस्त्रांसह ते अत्यंत वेगाने परस्परांवर धावून गेले; गर्जत, ललकारत आणि उड्या मारत ते एकमेकांवर तुटून पडले।

Word by Word

सम्together, completely

अभ्यधावन्तran towards, charged

भृशम्violently, greatly

कालदण्डैःwith death-staffs (like Yama's rod)

इवlike, as if

उद्यतैःraised, uplifted

नर्दन्तःroaring

आह्वयन्तःcalling/challenging

प्रवल्गन्तःleaping about, bounding

मारिषO noble one / sir

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)

gadā (mace)

muśala (pestle/bludgeon)

parigha (iron bar)

kāladaṇḍa (rod of Death/Yama’s staff, metaphor)

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 terrifying momentum of war: when martial fury rises, weapons become ‘kāladaṇḍa’—instruments of death. It implicitly warns how quickly human agency can turn into destructive inevitability, even under the banner of kṣatriya duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a close-quarters clash: armoured, helmeted warriors roar, leap, and challenge each other while charging with heavy blunt weapons—maces, pestles, and iron bars—raised high, likened to the rod of Death.