Shloka 28

Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)

Devanagari script

शीर्यमाणानि कूलानि प्रवृद्धेनेव वारिणा । मया कुरूणां वृन्दानि पात्यमानानि पश्य वै

Transliteration

śīryamāṇāni kūlāni pravṛddheneva vāriṇā | mayā kurūṇāṁ vṛndāni pātyamānāni paśya vai

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను— చూడుము; వరద నీరు పెరిగినప్పుడు గట్టులు కూలిపోతున్నట్లే, అలాగే కురువుల దళాలు పడగొట్టబడి చిద్రమవుతున్నదాన్ని నేను చూశాను.

Word by Word

• शीर्यमाणानि: being broken/being torn away
• शीर्यमाणानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शॄ (धातु) → शीर्यमाण (कृदन्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• कूलानि: banks (river-banks)
• कूलानि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• प्रवृद्धेन: by the swollen/increased (one)
• प्रवृद्धेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रवृद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: as/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• वारिणा: by water
• वारिणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारि
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• कुरूणाम्: of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वृन्दानि: groups/hosts
• वृन्दानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृन्द
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• पात्यमानानि: being made to fall / being felled
• पात्यमानानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु) → पात्यमान (कृदन्त, णिच्)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• पश्य: see!
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular

• वै: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Kurus

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of power and formations in conflict: when overwhelming force arises, even what seems stable collapses—like riverbanks in flood—highlighting impermanence and the swift undoing of pride and security in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, describes witnessing the Kuru forces being struck down in large groups, using a vivid comparison to eroding riverbanks during a swollen flood to convey the scale and inevitability of the rout.