Mahabharata 9.55.216 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 55, Shloka 216

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

अशोभेतां महाराज चन्द्रसूर्याविवोदितौ । महाराज! रणमण्डलके बीचमें खड़े हुए ये दोनों नरश्रेष्ठ भ्राता उदित हुए चन्द्रमा और सूर्यके समान शोभा पा रहे थे

Transliteration

aśobhetāṃ mahārāja candrasūryāv ivoditau |

Translation

三阇耶说道：“大王啊，那二人光耀如新升之月与初出之日。”立于战场中央的两位兄弟英雄，灿然若月日并升。

Word by Word

• अशोभेताम्: shone, were splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुभ्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Dual, Parasmaipada

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• चन्द्र: the moon
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सूर्यौ: two suns / (moon and sun as a pair, by context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• उदितौ: risen, having arisen
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)
• Moon (Candra)
• Sun (Sūrya)
• Battlefield (raṇamaṇḍala, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the paradox of war: martial excellence and noble bearing can appear beautiful, yet that very splendor unfolds within a setting of destruction—inviting reflection on how dharma and human admiration are tested in violent conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two brother-warriors standing in the center of the battlefield, their presence radiant and commanding, compared to the moon and the sun rising—signaling a climactic confrontation and the heightened intensity of the scene.