Shloka 6

Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall

Devanagari script

तथा तत्‌ पौरुष॑ राजंस्तावकानां परंतप । प्राप्प पाण्डुसुतान्‌ वीरान्‌ व्यर्थ भवति संयुगे,परंतप! नरेश! जैसे देवनदी गंगाजीका जल स्वादिष्ट होकर भी महासागरके संयोगसे उसीके गुणका सम्मिश्रण हो जानेके कारण खारा हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार आपके पुत्रोंका पुरुषार्थ युद्धमें वीर पाण्डवोंतक पहुँचकर व्यर्थ हो जाता है

Transliteration

tathā tat pauruṣaṁ rājan tāvakānāṁ parantapa | prāpya pāṇḍusutān vīrān vyarthaṁ bhavati saṁyuge ||

Translation

సంజయుడు పలికెను—పరంతప రాజా! అలాగే నీ పక్షపు సైన్యపు పౌరుషం సంగ్రామంలో వీర పాండుసుతులను ఎదుర్కొనగానే వ్యర్థమవుతుంది; గంగ మధురజలం మహాసముద్రాన్ని చేరి ఉప్పగా మారినట్లే।

Word by Word

[{'term''tathā', 'definition': 'thus

in the same way'}, {'term''tat', 'definition': 'that (referring to the just-given comparison)'}, {'term': 'pauruṣam', 'definition': 'manly effort

prowess'}, {'term''rājan', 'definition': 'O king (vocative)'}, {'term': 'tāvakānām', 'definition': 'of yours

of your side/men (Kauravas)'}, {'term''parantapa', 'definition': 'O scorcher of foes (epithet of the king)'}, {'term': 'prāpya', 'definition': 'having reached

upon encountering'}, {'term''pāṇḍusutān', 'definition': 'the sons of Pāṇḍu (the Pāṇḍavas)'}, {'term': 'vīrān', 'definition': 'heroes

brave warriors'}, {'term''vyartham', 'definition': 'in vain

ineffective'}, {'term''bhavati', 'definition': 'becomes

proves to be'}, {'term''saṁyuge', 'definition': 'in battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'rājan' and 'parantapa')

Kauravas (tāvakāḥ)

Pāṇḍavas (pāṇḍusutāḥ)

Gaṅgā (from the given simile/explanatory gloss)

Ocean/Sea (from the given simile/explanatory gloss)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Mere effort or numerical strength does not guarantee success; when confronted by a superior force (here, the Pāṇḍavas’ heroism), the opponent’s valor can be rendered ineffective—like a river’s sweetness losing its distinctness upon merging into the sea.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that the Kaurava warriors’ attempts in the ongoing battle are being neutralized upon meeting the Pāṇḍavas, emphasizing the Pāṇḍavas’ dominance through a vivid comparison.