Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 29

Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana

The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint

Devanagari script

तयो: प्रहरतोस्तुल्यं मत्तकुड्जरयोरिव । गदानिर्घातसंह्ाद: प्रहाराणामजायत

Transliteration

tayoḥ praharatos tulyaṁ mattakuñjarayor iva | gadā-nirghāta-saṁhādaḥ prahārāṇām ajāyata, rājan |

Translation

أيها الملك، إذ كانا يتبادلان الضربات بقوة متساوية كفيلين مخمورين يتصارعان، دوّى اصطدام هراواتهما—المولود من تبادل الضربات—كزئير الصاعقة.

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, षष्ठी, द्विवचन

• प्रहरतोः: of the two striking (fighters)
• प्रहरतोः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त), षष्ठी, द्विवचन, पुं

• तुल्यम्: equal(ly)
• तुल्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मत्त: of intoxicated
• मत्त: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, षष्ठी, द्विवचन

• कुञ्जरयोः: of (two) elephants
• कुञ्जरयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुञ्जर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, षष्ठी, द्विवचन

• इव: as/like
• इव: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• गदा: of maces
• गदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• निर्घात: clash/impact
• निर्घात: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्घात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• संहादः: sound/roar
• संहादः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रहाराणाम्: of blows/strikes
• प्रहाराणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• अजायत: arose/was produced
• अजायत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथम, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva) as speaker
• राजन् (the King addressed)
• गदा (mace)
• मत्कुञ्जर (intoxicated elephants, simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the awe and danger of evenly matched power in war: when two mighty warriors strike with equal force, the result is not harmony but a thunderous escalation of violence, reminding the listener of the grave cost and intensity inherent in kṣatriya combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Two powerful fighters are exchanging equal blows with maces. Their weapons collide with a tremendous crash, compared to the combat of maddened elephants and to thunderbolt-like thunder, while Vāyudeva narrates this to the King.