Shloka 23

Nakula’s Engagement with Citra-sena and Karṇa’s Sons; Śalya Re-stabilizes the Kaurava Host

Devanagari script

कबन्धशतसंकीर्ण छत्रचामरसंकुलम्‌ । सेनावनं तच्छुशुभे वन॑ पुष्पाचितं यथा

Transliteration

kabandhaśatasaṅkīrṇaṃ chatracāmarasaṅkulam | senāvanaṃ tac chuśubhe vanaṃ puṣpācitaṃ yathā ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—พงไพรแห่งกองทัพนั้นแน่นขนัดด้วยร่างไร้ศีรษะนับร้อย และอัดแน่นด้วยฉัตรกับจามร กลับดูงามประหลาด ราวกับป่าที่โปรยปรายด้วยดอกไม้.

Word by Word

कबन्धशतसंकीर्णम्strewn with hundreds of trunks

छत्रचामरसंकुलम्crowded with umbrellas and yak-tail fans

सेनावनम्the army-forest (the army like a forest)

तत्that

शुशुभेshone, appeared splendid

वनम्a forest

पुष्पाचितम्covered with flowers

यथाas, like

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

army (senā)

parasol (chatra)

yak-tail fan (cāmara)

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 moral paradox of war: outward splendor (royal umbrellas and ceremonial fans) can aesthetically ‘beautify’ a scene that is ethically horrific, reminding the listener not to confuse appearance with righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the appearance of the battlefield: it is littered with numerous headless bodies, yet crowded with royal insignia like parasols and cāmaras, making the army’s field look like a flower-strewn forest.