Shloka 31

Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ

Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements

Devanagari script

तत्‌ परे नान्वबुध्यन्त सैन्येन रजसा वृता:

Transliteration

tat pare nānvabudhyanta sainyena rajasā vṛtāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Nhưng những người khác không hiểu chuyện gì đang xảy ra, vì họ bị lớp bụi do quân đội cuốn lên bao phủ. Trong màn sương mù đạo lý của chiến trận, ngay cả dấu hiệu rõ ràng và sự phán đoán sáng suốt cũng bị che lấp bởi hỗn loạn và sức ép của bạo lực.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (event/thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• परे: the others
• परे: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अन्वबुध्यन्त: understood/perceived
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + बुध्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सैन्येन: by/with the army
• सैन्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• रजसा: by/with dust
• रजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वृताः: covered/enveloped
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृ (वरणे) → वृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• army (sainya)
• dust (rajas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, clarity of perception collapses: physical dust becomes a symbol of mental and moral obscuration. When conditions are turbulent, people fail to recognize events accurately, leading to misjudgment and further harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the combatants on the other side did not comprehend the situation because the battlefield was shrouded in dust churned up by the moving army, preventing them from seeing and understanding clearly.