Shloka 8

Devanagari script

सा पार्थिवशताकीर्णा समितिर्भीष्मशोभिता । शुशुभे भारती दीप्ता दिवीवादित्यमण्डलम्‌,सैकड़ों राजाओंसे भरी और भीष्मसे सुशोभित हुई वह भरतवंशियोंकी दीप्तिशालिनी सभा आकाशमें सूर्यममण्डलकी भाँति उस रणभूमिमें शोभा पाने लगी

Transliteration

sā pārthivaśatākīrṇā samitir bhīṣmaśobhitā | śuśubhe bhāratī dīptā divīvādityamaṇḍalam ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Aquele ajuntamento de guerra, apinhado de centenas de reis e tornado resplandecente pela presença de Bhīṣma, brilhou com a glória dos Bhāratas—como o disco do sol ardendo no céu—sobre o campo de batalha.

Word by Word

साthat (she/it)

पार्थिवशताकीर्णाfilled with hundreds of kings

समितिःassembly; battle-host/army (gathering)

भीष्मशोभिताadorned by Bhīṣma

शुशुभेshone; appeared splendid

भारतीthe Bhārata (host/army) / belonging to the Bhāratas

दीप्ताblazing; radiant

दिविin heaven; in the sky

इवlike; as if

आदित्यमण्डलम्the orb/disk of the sun

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

pārthivāḥ (kings)

Bhāratas (the Kuru/Bhārata host)

āditya-maṇḍala (sun’s orb)

samiti (battle-assembly/field)

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 highlights how a community’s perceived legitimacy and strength are amplified by eminent leadership (Bhīṣma) and unified royal support, creating an aura of grandeur; ethically, it also hints at the unsettling contrast between outward splendor and the inner cost of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the Kuru battle formation/assembly: it is packed with many kings and appears especially magnificent because Bhīṣma stands at its center, shining like the sun’s disk in the sky.