Shloka 2

अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः

Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation

Devanagari script

आयोधन चातिघोरें रुद्रस्याक्रीड संनिभम्‌ । अप्रख्यातिं गतानां तु राज्ञां शतसहस्रश:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

āyodhanaṃ cātighore rudrasyākrīḍa-sannibham |

aprakhyātiṃ gatānāṃ tu rājñāṃ śata-sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «О царь, то поле брани стало невыразимо ужасным, словно игрище Рудры (Шивы) в его грозном облике. Там сотни тысяч царей были низведены в безвестность — их слава и даже след их бытия стерлись среди развалин войны».

Word by Word

• आयोधनम्: battlefield
• आयोधनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयोधन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• अतिघोरम्: very terrible
• अतिघोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिघोर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• रुद्रस्य: of Rudra
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• आक्रीड: playground; sporting-ground
• Type: Noun
• Root: आक्रीड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सन्निभम्: resembling; like
• सन्निभम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सन्निभ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अप्रख्यातिम्: obscurity; loss of fame/identity
• अप्रख्यातिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्रख्याति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गतानाम्: of those who had gone/attained
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• तु: but; indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• राज्ञाम्: of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• शतसहस्रशः: by hundreds of thousands; in hundreds of thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतसहस्रशस्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Rudra (Śiva)
• kings (rājānaḥ)
• battlefield (āyodhana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly power and fame: even mighty kings can be erased into obscurity by the destructive force of war, which is likened to Rudra’s terrifying arena.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the horrific state of the battlefield, emphasizing its dreadfulness and the massive, anonymous loss of kings, setting a grim tone for the events unfolding in the Śalya Parva.