Shloka 16
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
Devanagari script
तद् दृष्टवोपस्थितं युद्ध समासन्न॑ं महात्ययम्
Transliteration
tad dṛṣṭvopasthitaṃ yuddhaṃ samāsannaṃ mahātyayam
Translation
眼见战争已然临到——迫在眉睫，且裹挟着巨大的灾厄——毗舍婆耶那便将此刻定格为：冲突不再是抽象之说，而是一场近在眼前、几乎无法回避的危机，携带着沉重的道德与人命代价。
Word by Word
तत्that
तत्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन
दृष्ट्वाhaving seen
दृष्ट्वा:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootदृश् (धातु)
Formक्त्वा (अव्यय-भाव), कर्तरि
उपस्थितम्present; arrived; standing near
उपस्थितम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootउप-स्था (धातु) → उपस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन
युद्धम्battle
युद्धम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootयुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन
समासन्नम्imminent; close at hand
समासन्नम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootसम्-आ-सद् (धातु) → समासन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन
महात्ययम्great calamity/disaster
महात्ययम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootमहात्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśaṃpāyanaY
yuddha (the war)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of war: when conflict becomes imminent, it is recognized not merely as a political event but as a 'mahātyaya'—a great calamity—implying that leaders and parties bear heightened responsibility for the consequences.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, marks a turning point: the prospect of battle has become immediate and unavoidable, setting the stage for decisions and actions taken under the shadow of impending catastrophe.