Shloka 18

रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield

Devanagari script

तामाशां हृदये कृत्वा समाश्चवस्य च भारत । मद्रराजं च समरे समाश्रित्य महारथम्‌

Transliteration

tām āśāṃ hṛdaye kṛtvā samāś ca vasya ca bhārata | madrarājaṃ ca samare samāśritya mahāratham ||

Translation

ఓ భారతా! ఆ ఆశను హృదయంలో నిలిపి, యుద్ధంలో మహారథుడైన మద్రరాజు శల్యుని ఆశ్రయించి, అతడు తన సంకల్పాన్ని అలాగే స్థిరపరచుకొనెను.

Word by Word

ताम्that (her/it)

आशाम्hope, expectation

हृदयेin (the) heart

कृत्वाhaving made, having placed

समाःequal, same

चand

अवस्यof protection/help (avasa)

चand

भारतO Bharata

मद्रराजम्the king of Madra (Shalya)

चand

समरेin battle

समाश्रित्यhaving resorted to, having taken refuge in/with

महारथम्the great chariot-warrior

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Madrarāja (Śalya)

Samara (battlefield)

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 highlights a wartime ethic of deliberate reliance: once a leader fixes an intention (āśā) internally, he seeks support from a proven mahāratha. It underscores how inner resolve and choosing capable allies shape action in crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that, with a particular hope in mind, the concerned party aligns himself with the Madrarāja Śalya—an eminent warrior—on the battlefield, indicating a strategic dependence on Śalya’s martial strength at this stage of the war.