Shloka 31

कर्ण-पाण्डव-संमर्दः — Karṇa and Arjuna’s Intensified Engagement

Devanagari script

ते हया बह्नशोभन्त मिश्रिता वातरंहस: । सितासिता महाराज यथा व्योम्नि बलाहका:,महाराज! वायुके समान वेगवाले वे सफेद और काले घोड़े परस्पर मिलकर आकाशगमें उठे हुए सफेद और काले बादलोंके समान अधिक शोभा पा रहे थे

Transliteration

te hayā bahnaśobhanta miśritā vātaraṁhasaḥ | sitāsitā mahārāja yathā vyomni balāhakāḥ ||

Translation

సంజయుడు అన్నాడు—మహారాజా! వాయువులా వేగంగా పరిగెత్తే ఆ గుర్రాలు పరస్పరం కలసి మహా వైభవంగా మెరిశాయి; తెల్లవి, నల్లవి కలిసి ఆకాశంలో తేలియాడే తెల్ల-నల్ల మేఘాల వలె కనిపించాయి.

Word by Word

तेthose

हयाःhorses

बह्नशोभन्तेthey shine greatly / are very splendid

मिश्रिताःmixed together

वातरंहसःswift as the wind

सिताःwhite

असिताःblack

महाराजO great king

यथाas / just like

व्योम्निin the sky

बलाहकाःclouds

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Mahārāja)

horses

clouds

sky

wind

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?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the overwhelming momentum of war through a vivid simile. By comparing the intermingled white and black horses to clouds in the sky, the narration underscores how martial power can appear majestic and irresistible—inviting reflection on the seductive grandeur of violence and the need for discernment (dharma) amid spectacle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene where swift horses—white and black—move together in a mass, appearing striking and cloud-like as they surge forward, emphasizing speed, density, and visual grandeur in the ongoing combat of Droṇa Parva.