Shloka 403

नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च

Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault

Devanagari script

समासाद्य रणेडन्योन्यं संरब्धा नातिचक्रमु: । रणभूमिमें घुड़सवार घुड़सवारोंसे और पैदल पैदलोंसे भिड़कर परस्पर कुपित होते हुए भी एक-दूसरेको लाँधघकर आगे नहीं बढ़ पाते थे

Transliteration

samāsādya raṇe ’nyonyaṃ saṃrabdhā nāticakramuḥ |

Translation

रणेऽन्योन्यं समासाद्य संरब्धा नातिचक्रमुः। अश्वारोहा अश्वारोहैः, पदातयः पदातिभिः समभ्यघ्नन्; क्रुद्धा अपि परस्परं न व्यतिक्रमितुं शेकुः।

Word by Word

समासाद्यhaving approached/come up to

रणेin battle

अन्योन्यम्one another (each other)

संरब्धाःenraged, excited, furious

नnot

अतिचक्रमुःthey did not overstep/pass beyond

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

battlefield (raṇa/raṇabhūmi)

horsemen

foot-soldiers

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 intense anger and effort do not guarantee victory; in war, outcomes depend on collective strength, positioning, and fate, and a righteous observer should recognize the limits of personal will amid larger forces.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment of deadlock: opposing troops meet head-on, with cavalry engaging cavalry and infantry engaging infantry, yet neither side can break through or advance past the other.