Shloka 446

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

Devanagari script

उपयाता नरव्याघ्रा: पूर्वा संध्यां प्रति प्रभो । प्रभो! इस प्रकार परस्पर वधकी इच्छावाले ये और वे पुरुषसिंह योद्धा प्रातःःकाल एक- दूसरेके निकट आये

Transliteration

upayātā naravyāghrāḥ pūrvāṃ sandhyāṃ prati prabho |

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “ข้าแต่พระองค์ บุรุษดุจพยัคฆ์เหล่านั้นเคลื่อนสู่ยามสนธยาแห่งอรุณ ด้วยความปรารถนาจะสังหารกันและกัน เหล่านักรบดุจราชสีห์จึงเข้าประชิดกันเมื่อรุ่งอรุณ”

Word by Word

• उपयाताः: having approached / came near
• उपयाताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-या (धातु) / उपयात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृत् (क्त), कर्तरि (परस्मैपद-भावार्थ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नरव्याघ्राः: tiger-like men / best of men
• नरव्याघ्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरव्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पूर्वाम्: earlier / prior
• पूर्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सन्ध्याम्: twilight (dawn/evening junction)
• सन्ध्याम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• प्रभो: O lord
• प्रभो: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address prabho)
• naravyāghrāḥ (warriors/heroes as a collective)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of war: even eminent, ‘lion-like’ heroes move forward at dawn with reciprocal intent to kill, highlighting how conflict can normalize violence and narrow moral vision to victory and survival.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at daybreak, opposing warriors advance and draw near to each other, preparing to resume combat with mutual readiness to strike down the other side.