Shloka 48

Devanagari script

हरवृषोत्तमगात्रसमद्युति: स्मरशरासनपूर्णसमप्रभ: । नववधूस्मितचारुमनोहर: प्रविसृत: कुमुदाकरबान्धव:,भगवान्‌ शंकरके वृषभ नन्दिकेश्वरके उत्तम अंगोंके समान जिसकी श्वेत कान्ति है, जो कामदेवके श्वेत पुष्पमय धनुषके समान पूर्णतः उज्ज्वल प्रभासे प्रकाशित होता है और नववधूकी मन्द मुसकानके सदृश सुन्दर एवं मनोहर जान पड़ता है; वह कुमुदकुल-बान्धव चन्द्रमा क्रमश: ऊपर उठकर आकाशमें अपनी चाँदनी छिटकाने लगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

haravṛṣottamagātrasamadyutiḥ smaraśarāsanapūrṇasamaprabhaḥ |

navavadhūsmita-cāru-manoharaḥ pravisṛtaḥ kumudākarabāndhavaḥ ||

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—हरवृषोत्तमगात्रसमद्युतिḥ स्मरशरासनपूर्णसमप्रभः । नववधूस्मितचारुमनोहरः प्रविसृतः कुमुदाकरबान्धवः ॥ स क्रमशः समुत्थाय नभसि स्वां ज्योत्स्नां प्रससार।

Word by Word

हरवृषोत्तमगात्रसमद्युतिḥwhose radiance is like the excellent body of Hara's bull

स्मरशरासनपूर्णसमप्रभःwhose splendor is like the fully bright bow of Smara (Kāma)

नववधूस्मितचारुमनोहरःcharming and delightful like a new bride's smile

प्रविसृतःhaving spread forth / having advanced

कुमुदाकरबान्धवःthe friend of the lotus-ponds (the moon)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śiva (Hara)

Nandikeśvara (Śiva’s bull)

Kāma (Smara)

Moon (Candra)

Kumuda (white water-lily)

Character 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

What is the core teaching?

The verse offers no direct injunction, but it implicitly teaches through contrast: even amid adharma-driven slaughter, the cosmos continues in serene order. This juxtaposition invites reflection on human responsibility—war is a chosen moral crisis, while nature’s calm highlights the tragedy of ethical collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya sets the scene by describing the moon rising and spreading its light. The poetic comparisons (to Nandikeśvara’s whiteness, Kāma’s bright bow, and a bride’s gentle smile) create a tranquil atmosphere that frames the events of the night within the Drona Parva.