Shloka 6

Sainyavinyāsa–Lakṣaṇa (Disposition of Armies and Battlefield Omens) | सैन्यविन्यास–लक्षणम्

Devanagari script

चक्रे वायु: पृष्ठत: पाण्डवानां धार्तराष्ट्रज्शवापदा व्याहरन्त । गजेन्द्राणां मदगन्धां श्व॒ तीव्रान्‌ न सेहिरे तव पुत्रस्य नागा:

Transliteration

cakre vāyuḥ pṛṣṭhataḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāś ca śvapadā vyāharan | gajendrāṇāṃ madagandhāṃś ca tīvrān na sehire tava putrasya nāgāḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：风从般度军背后吹来；而在俱卢一侧，野兽发出不祥的嚎叫。你儿军中的战象也无法忍受般度方雄象发情之时那刺烈而压倒性的气味。

Word by Word

• चक्रे: made/caused
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वायुः: the wind
• वायुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पृष्ठतः: from behind/at the back
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठ
• Form: Adverb (ablatival)

• पाण्डवानाम्: of the Pāṇḍavas
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• धार्तराष्ट्राः: the Dhārtarāṣṭras (Kauravas)
• धार्तराष्ट्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• श्वापदाः: wild beasts/predators
• श्वापदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• व्याहरन्: cried out/uttered
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्याहृ
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• गजेन्द्राणाम्: of the lordly elephants
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• मदगन्धान्: musth-smells (odours of rut)
• मदगन्धान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदगन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• श्वः: indeclinable (uncertain in this reading)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्वस्/श्वः
• Form: Particle/indeclinable (textual reading uncertain)

• तीव्रान्: strong/intense
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: Negation

• सेहिरे: endured/tolerated
• Type: Verb
• Root: सह्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3, Plural, Ātmanepada

• तव: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: 2, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• नागाः: elephants
• नागाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• Dhārtarāṣṭras (Kauravas)
• Duryodhana (implied by 'tava putrasya')
• wind (vāyu)
• wild beasts (śvapadāḥ)
• elephants (nāgāḥ, gajendrāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how nature and battlefield omens are read as indicators of moral and strategic momentum: favorable conditions align with the side perceived as more righteous, while fear and disorder appear among the opposing forces.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports signs on the battlefield: the wind supports the Pāṇḍavas from behind, ominous cries arise among the Kaurava side, and Duryodhana’s elephants are unsettled and unable to bear the intense must-scent of powerful elephants—suggesting disadvantage for the Kauravas.