Shloka 331

भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः

The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat

Devanagari script

ध्वजानां चर्मणां चैव व्यजनानां च सर्वश: । छत्राणां हेमदण्डानां तोमराणां च भारत

Transliteration

dhvajānāṁ carmaṇāṁ caiva vyajanānāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ | chatrāṇāṁ hemadaṇḍānāṁ tomarāṇāṁ ca bhārata

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “โอ ภารตะ ทุกทิศทางมีทั้งธงรบ เครื่องหนัง พัดนานาชนิด ฉัตรที่มีด้ามทอง และหอกพุ่ง (โตมร) อย่างดาษดื่น”

Word by Word

• ध्वजानाम्: of flags/banners
• ध्वजानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चर्मणाम्: of hides/leather (shields)
• चर्मणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• व्यजनानाम्: of fans/whisks
• व्यजनानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यजन
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सर्वशः: altogether/in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

• छत्राणाम्: of umbrellas/parasol(s)
• छत्राणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• हेमदण्डानाम्: of gold-staffed (ones)
• हेमदण्डानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेमदण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• तोमराणाम्: of javelins/spears
• तोमराणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोमर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भारत: O Bharata (descendant of Bharata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• dhvaja (banner/standard)
• carma (leather gear/shield/covering)
• vyajana (fan/whisk)
• chatra (parasol)
• hema-daṇḍa (golden staff/handle)
• tomara (javelin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the outward splendor and martial preparedness of the armies—royal emblems (parasols, fans, banners) alongside weapons—implicitly reminding that war involves both power-display and lethal force, and that such grandeur can mask the grave ethical weight of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scene of the Kurukṣetra battlefield, emphasizing the abundance of banners, leather equipment, ceremonial fans, golden-handled parasols, and javelins visible everywhere—conveying the scale, organization, and royal presence within the forces.