Shloka 38

शल्यस्य सेनापत्याभ्युपगमः | Śalya’s Acceptance of Command

Devanagari script

पश्यन्ति नूनं पितर: पूजितान्‌ सुरसंसदि । अप्सरोभि: परिवृतान्‌ मोदमानांस्त्रिविष्टपे

Transliteration

paśyanti nūnaṃ pitaraḥ pūjitān surasaṃsadi | apsarobhiḥ parivṛtān modamānāṃs triviṣṭape ||

Translation

సంజయుడు అన్నాడు—నిశ్చయంగా పితృదేవతలు వారిని దేవసభలో గౌరవింపబడినవారిగా చూస్తున్నారు; త్రివిష్టపంలో (స్వర్గంలో) అప్సరసలచే పరివృతులై ఆనందిస్తున్నవారిగా వారు దర్శనమిస్తున్నారు.

Word by Word

पश्यन्तिthey see

नूनम्surely, indeed

पितरःthe fathers/manes (ancestors)

पूजितान्honoured, worshipped

सुरसंसदिin the assembly of the gods

अप्सरोभिःby/with the Apsarases

परिवृतान्surrounded

मोदमानान्rejoicing, delighting

त्रिविष्टपेin heaven (Triviṣṭapa)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

प

पितरः (Pitṛs/forefathers)

स

सुरसंसद् (assembly of the gods)

अ

अप्सरस् (Apsarās)

त

त्रिविष्टप (Triviṣṭapa/heaven)

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 frames death in righteous battle as leading to honour in the divine realm: the fallen are envisioned as received with reverence among the gods, suggesting that courage and duty (especially kṣatriya-dharma) bear transcendent moral consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the posthumous state of the warriors: the Pitṛs are said to behold them honoured in the gods’ assembly, surrounded by Apsarās, rejoicing in heaven—an image that consoles and elevates the meaning of the battlefield deaths.