Shloka 35

Devanagari script

पलालकाण्डवर्णस्तु वार्थक्षेमिं तरस्विनम्‌ । ऊहुः सुतुमुले युद्धे हया: कृष्णा: स्वलंकृता:

Transliteration

palālakāṇḍavarṇas tu vārthakṣemiṁ tarasvinam | ūhuḥ sutumule yuddhe hayāḥ kṛṣṇāḥ svalankṛtāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Dalam pertempuran yang amat hiruk-pikuk itu, kuda-kuda hitam yang berhias rapi—berwarna seperti batang jerami pucat—membawa meluncur sang pahlawan yang pantas dan perkasa, pelindung harta serta kesejahteraan (kṣema). Adegan ini menegaskan bahawa di tengah kekacauan moral perang, kekuatan dan persiapan yang cermat tetap dihimpunkan untuk menopang tujuan dan kelangsungan seorang pemimpin.

Word by Word

पलालकाण्डवर्णःhaving the color of a stalk of straw

तुbut/indeed

अर्थक्षेमिन्one who secures welfare and safety (prosperity-and-protection)

तरस्विनम्mighty/energetic

ऊहुःcarried/bore

सुतुमुलेin a very tumultuous (fierce) [situation]

युद्धेin battle

हयाःhorses

कृष्णाःblack/dark

स्वलंकृताःwell-adorned

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

horses (hayāḥ)

battle (yuddha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even within the disorder of war, the verse highlights the deliberate sustaining of a leader through resources and protection (artha-kṣema). It points to the battlefield reality that power is not only personal valor but also the support systems—mounts, equipment, and preparedness—that uphold one’s aims and responsibilities.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a swift, powerful figure being borne through a very tumultuous battle by well-adorned black horses, noted with a distinctive pale straw-stalk hue description. The focus is on the movement and martial conveyance amid intense fighting.