Shloka 9

Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ

The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges

Devanagari script

न वासुदेवो वार्ष्णेयो धर्मराजश्व॒ पाण्डव:

Transliteration

na vāsudevo vārṣṇeyo dharmarājaś ca pāṇḍavaḥ

Translation

ਧ੍ਰਿਤਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ ਬੋਲੇ—“ਨਾ ਵ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨੀਵੰਸ਼ੀ ਵਾਸੁਦੇਵ (ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ), ਨਾ ਹੀ ਪਾਂਡਵ ਧਰਮਰਾਜ (ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ)…”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva (Krishna)
• वासुदेवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वार्ष्णेयः: Vārṣṇeya (descendant of Vṛṣṇi; Krishna)
• वार्ष्णेयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्ष्णेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मराजः: Dharma-rāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्मराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पाण्डवः: the Pāṇḍava (son of Pāṇḍu; here likely Arjuna or a Pāṇḍava in general)
• पाण्डवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa)
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line invokes Kṛṣṇa and Yudhiṣṭhira as benchmarks of dharma and self-control, highlighting that when even the most ethically grounded leaders are implicated, the conflict has reached a stage where moral order is under severe strain and every action must be weighed against dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra begins a statement (continued in subsequent verses) expressing anxious disbelief and moral unease, naming Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) and Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) as central figures whose involvement underscores the gravity of the unfolding war situation.