Shloka 326

भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal

Devanagari script

जघ्नुस्तेषां बलानीकं दुर्जयं समरे परै: । तब “बहुत अच्छा” ऐसा कहकर इरावानके समस्त सैनिकोंने उन छहों वीरोंके सैन्यसमूहको, जो समरांगणमें दूसरोंके लिये दुर्जय था, मार डाला

Transliteration

jaghnus teṣāṃ balānīkaṃ durjayaṃ samare paraiḥ |

Translation

قال سنجيا: «إن جنود إيرافان جميعًا، وهم يهتفون: ‘أحسنتم!’، قد حطّموا تشكيل كتيبة أولئك الأبطال الستة—وهو صفّ كان عسيرًا على غيرهم أن يقهروه في زحمة القتال—في قلب المعمعة.»

Word by Word

• जघ्नुः: they slew/killed
• जघ्नुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), perfect, 3, plural

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, plural

• बलानीकम्: the army/host (troop-array)
• बलानीकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलानीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• दुर्जयम्: hard to conquer
• दुर्जयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• परैः: by others / by the enemies
• परैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Irāvān
• six heroes (ṣaḍvīrāḥ, implied by the prose gloss)
• Irāvān’s soldiers

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a force deemed ‘durjaya’ (hard to conquer) can be brought down when opponents act in unity and seize the moment; yet the verse also invites reflection on the ethical tension of exulting in killing as ‘good’ within the compulsions of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Irāvān’s soldiers, encouraged and praising the feat, collectively destroy the battle-array of six formidable warriors that had been difficult for others to defeat.