Shloka 20
Devanagari script
तस्मिन् क्षणे महाराज नवभिर्नतपर्वभि:
Transliteration
tasmin kṣaṇe mahārāja navabhir nataparvabhiḥ
Translation
तस्मिन् क्षणे महाराज नवभिर्नतपर्वभिः।
Word by Word
तस्मिन्in that
तस्मिन्:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular
क्षणेmoment
क्षणे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootक्षण
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
महाराजO great king
महाराज:
TypeNoun
Rootमहाराज
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
नवभिःwith nine
नवभिः:
Karana
TypeNumeral/Adjective
Rootनवन्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural
नतपर्वभिःwith (those) having bent joints / bent-knuckled
नतपर्वभिः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootनतपर्वन्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaD
DhṛtarāṣṭraCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line underscores the suddenness of karmic consequence in war: in a single instant, decisive blows can arrive. It also highlights Sañjaya’s role as a truthful witness, reminding the king that royal decisions culminate in immediate, tangible suffering on the battlefield.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and marks a critical instant in the fighting, describing an attack involving “nine” and the striking of jointed/bent shafts or weapons—signaling a rapid, concentrated assault within the ongoing Drona-parvan battle sequence.