Shloka 26

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७

Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts

Devanagari script

अनुकर्षनुपासांगान्‌ पताका विविधध्वजान्‌

Transliteration

anukarṣann upāsāṅgān patākā vividhadhvajān

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—அவர்கள் உபகரணங்களின் துணைப் பகுதிகளை இழுத்துச் சென்றனர்; பலவகை கொடிகளும் த்வஜங்களும் உடன் இருந்தன।

Word by Word

• अनुकर्षन्: dragging, pulling along
• अनुकर्षन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-√कृष्
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद, शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्तवत् प्रयोगः (अनुकर्षन् = ‘खींचता हुआ’)

• उपसाङ्गान्: accessories, appendages, equipment
• उपसाङ्गान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपसाङ्ग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पताकाः: banners, flags
• पताकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पताका
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• विविध-ध्वजान्: various standards/flags
• विविध-ध्वजान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विविधध्वज
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• banners (patākāḥ)
• standards/ensigns (dhvajāḥ)
• auxiliary equipment (upāsāṅgāni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war is not only fought with heroes but sustained by material apparatus—standards, banners, and supporting equipment—highlighting the organized, collective machinery behind violence and the moral weight of mobilizing it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports battlefield movement: troops are advancing or repositioning while hauling their supporting gear, with many banners and standards visible—an image of a large, ordered force in motion.