Shloka 2

अश्वमेधीयस्य हयस्य दक्षिणापश्चिमगमनम् — The Sacrificial Horse’s Southern and Western Circuit

Devanagari script

हस्त्यश्वरथयुक्तेन पताकाध्वजमालिना । अमृष्यमाणास्ते योधा तृपस्य शकुनेर्वधम्‌

Transliteration

hasty-aśva-ratha-yuktena patākā-dhvaja-mālinā | amṛṣyamāṇās te yodhās tṛpasyāḥ śakuner vadham

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Harnessed with elephants, horses, and chariots, and adorned with banners and standards, those warriors—unable to endure it—took satisfaction in the slaying of Śakuni. The verse underscores how, in the aftermath of grievous wrongs, martial zeal can turn into a grim sense of relief at an enemy’s fall, raising an ethical tension between righteous retribution and the hardening of the heart in war.

Word by Word

• हस्त्यश्वरथयुक्तेन: with (an army) furnished with elephants, horses, and chariots
• हस्त्यश्वरथयुक्तेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हस्ति-अश्व-रथ-युक्त
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• पताकाध्वजमालिना: with garlands of banners and flags
• पताकाध्वजमालिना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पताका-ध्वज-मालिन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• अमृष्यमाणाः: unable to endure; impatient
• अमृष्यमाणाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृष् (अमृष्यमाण)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• योधाः: warriors
• योधाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तृपस्य: of Tr̥pasa (a proper name)
• तृपस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृपस्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शकुनेः: of Śakuni
• शकुनेः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वधम्: killing; slaying
• वधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Śakuni
• warriors (yodhāḥ)
• elephants
• horses
• chariots
• banners (patākā)
• standards (dhvaja)