Shloka 34

Devanagari script

श्वेतवर्णर्हयैर्युक्ते कालवालैर्मनोजवै: । आस्थाय पुरुषव्याप्र: स्वबलेनाभिसंवृत:

Transliteration

śvetavarṇair hayair yukte kālavālair manojavaiḥ | āsthāya puruṣavyāghraḥ svabalenābhisaṃvṛtaḥ ||

Translation

Dengan menaiki kereta perang yang dipasang kuda-kuda putih, sepantas fikiran dan berumbai surai hitam, sang harimau di antara manusia itu mara ke hadapan, dikepung serta dilindungi oleh bala tenteranya sendiri.

Word by Word

श्वेतवर्णैःwith white-colored

हयैःhorses

युक्तेyoked/attached (in)

कालवालैःwith black tails

मनोजवैःwith mind-swift (very swift)

आस्थायhaving mounted/entered

पुरुषव्याघ्रःtiger among men (great hero)

स्वबलेनby/with his own force (army/strength)

अभिसंवृतःsurrounded/encircled

Speaker

संयज उवाच

Characters & Entities

white horses

chariot (implied by yoking and mounting)

the hero described as puruṣavyāghra (unnamed in this verse)

his own army/troops (svabala)

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?

Even in war, power is shown not merely by personal valor but by disciplined preparedness—swift resources (the horses) and loyal protection (one’s own troops) enabling a leader to act effectively.

What is happening in the narrative?

A principal warrior—praised as a ‘tiger among men’—mounts his fast chariot drawn by white horses with dark manes and proceeds while being surrounded/escorted by his own forces, signaling an organized advance into battle.