Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ततस्ते क्षत्रिया राजन्नुपाजहु: समनन्‍्ततः । भक्ष्यानुच्चावचान्‌ राजन्‌ वारिकुम्भांश्न शीतलान्‌,राजन! तब वे क्षत्रियनरेश चारों ओरसे भोजनकी उत्तमोत्तम सामग्री और शीतल जलसे भरे हुए घड़े ले आये

Transliteration

tatas te kṣatriyā rājann upājahuḥ samanantataḥ | bhakṣyān uccāvacān rājan vārikumbhāṃś ca śītalān |

Translation

Санджая сказал: Тогда, о царь, те кшатрии подошли со всех сторон, неся разные превосходные яства и кувшины с прохладной водой.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

तेthey

क्षत्रियाःKshatriyas, warriors

राजन्O king

उपाजहुःthey brought near, they presented

समन्ततःfrom all sides, all around

भक्ष्यान्edibles, foods

उच्चावचान्various, of many kinds (excellent and ordinary)

राजन्O king

वारिकुम्भान्water-pots, jars of water

चand

शीतलान्cool, cold

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied by address 'rājan')

kṣatriyas

food provisions (bhakṣya)

water-jars/pots (vāri-kumbha)

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?

Even in wartime, kṣatriya-dharma includes disciplined care for people through proper provisioning—food and water offered in an orderly, respectful manner. Sustaining the community and the fighting force is treated as a duty aligned with righteousness, not mere comfort-seeking.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the King that kṣatriyas come from all directions bringing assorted foods and cool water in jars—an image of organized support and hospitality within the larger battlefield setting of Bhīṣma Parva.