Shloka 50

Devanagari script

हस्तिदन्तत्सरून्‌ खड्गाज्जातरूपपरिष्कृतान्‌ | चर्माणि चापविद्धानि रुक्मचित्राणि धन्विनाम्‌

Transliteration

hastidantatsarūn khaḍgājjātarūpapariṣkṛtān | carmāṇi cāpaviddhāni rukmacitrāṇi dhanvinām ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：“我们在战场上看见弓手们的剑被弃置在地——剑柄以象牙制成，并镶嵌黄金。其盾亦被抛下，饰以金纹，图案繁丽。”

Word by Word

• हस्ति-दन्त-त्सरून्: hilts (made of elephant-ivory)
• हस्ति-दन्त-त्सरून्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्सरु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• खड्गात्: from the sword
• खड्गात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: खड्ग
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• जात-रूप-परिष्कृतान्: adorned/embellished with gold
• जात-रूप-परिष्कृतान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परिष्कृत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• चर्माणि: shields (leather)
• चर्माणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• आप-विद्धानि: shot/struck by arrows
• आप-विद्धानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• रुक्म-चित्राणि: variegated/marked with gold
• रुक्म-चित्राणि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• धन्विनाम्: of the archers
• धन्विनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)
• swords (khaḍga)
• ivory hilts (hastidanta-tsaru)
• gold inlay/ornament (jātarūpa, rukma)
• shields (carma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark contrast between royal splendor and the ruin of war: even exquisitely crafted weapons and shields—symbols of power and status—end up discarded on the battlefield, pointing to the fragility of worldly grandeur amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what is seen on the field: archers’ swords with ivory hilts and gold ornamentation, and their decorated shields, lie thrown down—an image of the battle’s intensity and the scattering of arms.