Shloka 27

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

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनो5भवन्मध्ये रक्षित: कुरुपुज्गवै: । हयानीकेन महता सौबलश्चापि संवृत:

Transliteration

duryodhano 'bhavan madhye rakṣitaḥ kurupuṅgavaiḥ | hayānīkena mahatā saubalaś cāpi saṃvṛtaḥ ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—ทุรโยธนะยืนอยู่กลางกองทัพ มีวีรชนผู้เลิศแห่งวงศ์กุรุคุ้มกัน; อีกทั้งยังถูกโอบล้อมด้วยกองทหารม้าขนาดใหญ่ โดยมีเสาบละ (ศกุนิ) ร่วมอยู่ด้วย

Word by Word

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

अभवत्was/became

मध्येin the middle

रक्षितःprotected/guarded

कुरुपुङ्गवैःby the foremost of the Kurus

हयानीकेनby/with the cavalry-division

महताgreat/large

सौबलःthe son of Subala (Śakuni)

चand

अपिalso

संवृतःenclosed/surrounded

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Kuru warriors (Kurupuṅgavas)

Cavalry division (Hayānīka)

Śakuni (Saubala)

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 the ethical and strategic burden of kingship in war: a ruler becomes the focal point of collective effort, and protecting leadership is treated as protecting the army’s cohesion and purpose. It also hints at the dependence of power on both elite virtue/valor (foremost warriors) and sheer military resources (large cavalry).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the Kaurava battle-array: Duryodhana is positioned at the center, guarded by the best Kuru fighters, and additionally ringed by a large cavalry unit, with Śakuni present as part of that protective enclosure.