Mahabharata 9.55.46 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 55, Shloka 46

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

श्र॒त्वा दुर्योधनवच: प्रत्यपद्यन्त तत्तथा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | śrutvā duryodhana-vacaḥ pratyapadyanta tat tathā | tato rājñāṃ sa mahān saṃghas tatra sarvata upāviśat | nṛpāṇāṃ sā maṇḍalī dyauḥ-sthaṃ sūryamaṇḍalam iva babhāse | teṣāṃ madhye bhagavataḥ śrīkṛṣṇasya bṛhad-bhrātā tejasvī mahābāhur balarāmo vyarājata | mahārāja sarvataḥ saṃmānito nīlāmbara-dharo gaurakāntir balabhadro rājñāṃ madhye tathā śuśubhe yathā rātrau nakṣatra-parivṛtaḥ pūrṇacandraḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Mendengar kata-kata Duryodhana, para raja yang berhimpun pun menyetujuinya. Lalu kumpulan besar para penguasa itu duduk mengelilingi tempat itu dari segala sisi. Lingkaran para raja tampak seperti cakera matahari di langit. Di tengah-tengah mereka bersinar Balarāma—berlengan perkasa, bercahaya, abang sulung yang dimuliakan bagi Tuhan Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Wahai Raja, dihormati dari setiap arah, Balabhadra yang berpakaian biru dan berkulit cerah tampak indah di antara para raja bagaikan bulan purnama pada malam hari dikelilingi bintang-bintang.”

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), कर्तरि

• दुर्योधन-वचः: Duryodhana's words/speech
• दुर्योधन-वचः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक) / दुर्योधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रत्यपद्यन्त: they assented/accepted
• प्रत्यपद्यन्त: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√पद् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Plural, कर्तरि

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus/so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• kings (rājānaḥ/nṛpāḥ)
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Balarāma (Balabhadra)
• sun orb (sūryamaṇḍala)
• full moon (pūrṇacandra)
• stars (nakṣatrāṇi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical power of social consensus and honor in royal politics: once a leader’s proposal is accepted, the assembly’s order and hierarchy become visible, and true eminence is marked not merely by authority but by the respect freely offered by others—here embodied in Balarāma’s honored, luminous presence.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Duryodhana speaks, the gathered kings agree and take their seats around him. The assembly is described through cosmic similes (sun-orb, moon among stars). In the center sits Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother, distinguished by his radiance, attire, and the universal respect shown to him.