Shloka 18

ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam

Description of War Standards

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ हि विजय: कृत्स्न: पाण्डवेन समाहित: । यदि नोड<स्ति कृतं किज्चिद्‌ यदि दत्त हुतं यदि

Transliteration

tasmin hi vijayaḥ kṛtsnaḥ pāṇḍavena samāhitaḥ | yadi noḍ<sti kṛtaṃ kiñcid yadi datta hutaṃ yadi

Translation

ସଞ୍ଜୟ କହିଲେ—ସେହି ପାଣ୍ଡବରେ ନିଶ୍ଚୟ ସମଗ୍ର ବିଜୟ ଦୃଢ଼ଭାବେ ସଂହତ ଓ ସୁରକ୍ଷିତ ଅଛି। ଯଦି କିଛି କରାଯାଇନଥାଏ, ଯଦି ଦାନ ଦିଆଯାଇନଥାଏ, ଯଦି ହୋମରେ ଆହୁତି ଅର୍ପିତ ହୋଇନଥାଏ…

Word by Word

तस्मिन्in him/therein

हिindeed/for

विजयःvictory

कृत्स्नःentire/complete

पाण्डवेनby the Pandava

समाहितःplaced/established; secured

यदिif

नnot

उदस्तिthere is/exists (arising/coming forth)

कृतम्done

किञ्चित्anything/something

यदिif

दत्तम्given

हुतम्offered (into fire); sacrificed

यदिif

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍava (son of Pāṇḍu)

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 a conviction common in the epic’s war-narrative: victory is not merely a product of visible effort but is ‘gathered’ around a rightful agent. It hints that ritual merit (acts done, gifts given, oblations offered) is not the sole determinant; destiny, righteousness, and the moral center embodied by the Pāṇḍava are presented as decisive.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes that complete victory is secured with the Pāṇḍava. The line continues with a rhetorical sequence—‘even if nothing has been done/given/offered’—to stress how strongly victory is believed to adhere to that side/person, regardless of conventional measures of merit.