Mahabharata 7.80.5 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 80, Shloka 5

ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam

Description of War Standards

Devanagari script

अलंकृत्योपहारं त॑ नैशं तस्मै न्यवेदयत्‌ । स्मयमानस्तु गोविन्द: फाल्गुन॑ प्रत्यभाषत

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

alaṅkṛtyopahāraṃ taṃ naiśaṃ tasmai nyavedayat |

smayamānas tu govindaḥ phālgunaṃ pratyabhāṣata ||

Translation

అర్జునుడు రాత్రి ఉపహారములతో (సుగంధాలు, మాలలు) శ్రీకృష్ణుని అలంకరించి, ఆ సమస్తాన్ని ఆయనకే సమర్పించెను. అప్పుడు చిరునవ్వుతో గోవిందుడు ఫాల్గుణునితో పలికెను.

Word by Word

• अलंकृत्य: having adorned
• Type: Verb
• Root: अलंकृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• उपहारम्: gift/offering
• उपहारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• नैशम्: nightly/pertaining to the night
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• न्यवेदयत्: offered/presented
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + वेद्/विद् (धातु) (निवेदयति = causative of √विद्/√वेद् in sense 'to inform/offer')
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular

• स्मयमानः: smiling
• स्मयमानः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मयमान (प्रातिपदिक; from √स्मि/स्मय्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• गोविन्दः: Govinda (Krishna)
• गोविन्दः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• फाल्गुनम्: Phalguna (Arjuna)
• फाल्गुनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रत्यभाषत: spoke to/replied to
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + भाष् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Phālguna (Arjuna)
• nightly offering (upahāra)
• fragrance (gandha)
• garlands (mālā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in a battlefield setting, right action is grounded in humility and devotion: Arjuna first honors Kṛṣṇa with offerings, indicating surrender of ego and readiness to receive guidance before undertaking consequential deeds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna adorns Kṛṣṇa with fragrances and garlands and offers the night’s gifts to Him; Kṛṣṇa (Govinda), smiling, then begins to speak to Arjuna (Phālguna), signaling an ensuing counsel or instruction.