Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 84

Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)

Devanagari script

त॑ परे नाभ्यवर्तन्त मर्त्या मृत्युमिवागतम्‌

Transliteration

taṁ pare nābhyavartanta martyā mṛtyum ivāgatam

Translation

Sañjaya said: The opposing warriors did not dare to close in on him, as though he were Death itself come before them. The moment underscores how, in the fury of battle, a single formidable fighter can embody inevitable consequence, shaking the will of even seasoned men.

Word by Word

• ते: they (those)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• परे: others, the remaining (ones)
• परे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• अभ्यवर्तन्त: turned back/withdrew; did not advance (towards)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मर्त्याः: mortals, men
• मर्त्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• आगतम्: come/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Death (Mṛtyu, personified)
• the opposing warriors (pare, martyāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral-psychological reality of war: when violence reaches its peak, a warrior’s overwhelming force can appear as inevitable fate itself, reminding mortals of the limits of courage before death.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes a battlefield moment where the enemy soldiers refuse to advance toward a particular fighter, recoiling as if Death has personally arrived.