Shloka 51

Devanagari script

पश्यध्वमुपधानं मे पाण्डवेनाभिसंधितम्‌ । शिश्येडहमस्यां शय्यायां यावदावर्तनं रवे:,'पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनने मेरे सिरमें यह तकिया लगाया है, उसे आपलोग देखें। मैं इस शय्यापर तबतक शयन करूँगा, जबतक कि सूर्य उत्तरायणमें नहीं लौट आते हैं

Transliteration

paśyadhvam upadhānaṁ me pāṇḍavenābhisaṁdhitam | śiṣye ’ham asyāṁ śayyāyāṁ yāvad āvartanam raveḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Lihatlah bantal yang diletakkan di bawah kepalaku oleh sang Pāṇḍava. Aku akan berbaring di atas pembaringan ini hingga matahari berbalik arah—hingga tibanya Uttarāyaṇa.”

Word by Word

पश्यध्वम्see (you all)!

उपधानम्pillow, cushion

मेmy

पाण्डवेनby the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna)

अभिसंधितम्placed/arranged, set (in position)

शिष्येI lie down / I will lie

अहम्I

अस्याम्on this

शय्यायाम्bed, couch

यावत्until, as long as

आवर्तनम्turning back, return

रवेःof the sun

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍava (Arjuna implied)

upadhāna (pillow)

śayyā (bed/couch)

ravi (the Sun)

Uttarāyaṇa (implied by the sun’s turning northward)

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?

Steadfastness to a chosen vow and inner discipline are upheld even amid suffering; at the same time, the episode highlights humane conduct—care and respect can be shown even across enemy lines, aligning valor with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A pillow/head-rest has been arranged by the Pāṇḍava (understood as Arjuna). The speaker declares he will remain lying on that bed until the sun’s ‘turning back,’ i.e., until the auspicious shift to Uttarāyaṇa.