Shloka 16

कर्णस्य एकाकि-प्रहारः तथा पाण्डव-महारथ-परिवेष्टनम् | Karṇa’s concentrated assault and the Pāṇḍava encirclement

Devanagari script

सा दिव्यमाल्यैरवकीर्यमाणा सुवर्णपुड्खैश्न शरैर्विचित्रै: । नक्षत्रसंघैरिव चित्रिता द्यौ: क्षितिर्बभौ योधवरैर्विचित्रा

Transliteration

sā divyamālyair avakīryamāṇā suvarṇapuḍkhaiś ca śaraiḥ vicitraiḥ | nakṣatrasaṅghair iva citritā dyauḥ kṣitir babhau yodhavarair vicitrā ||

Translation

ਦਿਵ੍ਯ ਮਾਲਾਵਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਛਿਟਕਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਸੋਨੇ ਦੇ ਪਰਾਂ ਵਾਲੇ ਅਦਭੁਤ ਤੀਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਢੱਕਿਆ, ਸ਼੍ਰੇਸ਼ਠ ਯੋਧਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਸਜਿਆ ਉਹ ਰਣਭੂਮੀ ਤਾਰਾ-ਮੰਡਲਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਚਿੱਤਰਿਤ ਆਕਾਸ਼ ਵਾਂਗ ਚਮਕ ਰਹੀ ਸੀ।

Word by Word

• सा: she/that (battlefield)
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• दिव्य-माल्यैः: with divine garlands
• दिव्य-माल्यैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्य + माल्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अवकीर्यमाणा: being strewn/covered (with)
• अवकीर्यमाणा: Karta
• Type: Participle
• Root: अव-√कीर्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, Passive, Present

• सुवर्ण-पुड्खैः: with golden feathers (fletchings)
• सुवर्ण-पुड्खैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुवर्ण + पुड्ख
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• विचित्रैः: variegated, wonderful
• विचित्रैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचित्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• नक्षत्र-संघैः: with clusters of stars
• नक्षत्र-संघैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र + संघ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• इव: as if, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• चित्रिता: painted/adorned
• चित्रिता: Karta
• Type: Participle
• Root: √चित्र्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, Passive, Past

• द्यौः: the sky
• द्यौः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यौ (दिव्)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षितिः: the earth/ground (battlefield)
• क्षितिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• बभौ: shone, appeared splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भा
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• योध-वरैः: with excellent warriors
• योध-वरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध + वर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• विचित्रा: variegated, splendid
• विचित्रा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचित्र
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• kṣiti (earth/battlefield)
• dyauḥ (sky)
• divya-mālya (celestial garlands)
• śara (arrows) with suvarṇa-puḍkha (golden fletching)
• yodhavara (foremost warriors)
• nakṣatra-saṅgha (clusters of stars)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the paradox of war: even scenes of destruction can appear dazzling. It implicitly cautions that beauty and grandeur do not sanctify violence; ethical discernment (dharma) must not be eclipsed by spectacle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya poetically describes the battlefield’s appearance—strewn with garlands and filled with ornate, golden-fletched arrows—so that the earth seems like a star-filled sky, made ‘variegated’ by the presence of many eminent warriors.