Shloka 18

Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial

Devanagari script

पतता तेन शतधा शिला गान्रैविंचूर्णिता । तां शिलां चूर्णितां दृष्टवा पाण्डुविस्मयमागत:,गिरते समय उसने अपने अंगोंसे उस पर्वतकी शिलाको चूर्ण-विचूर्ण कर दिया। पत्थरकी चट्टानको चूर-चूर हुआ देख महाराज पाण्डु बड़े आश्वर्यमें पड़ गये

Transliteration

patatā tena śatadhā śilā gāndharvaivaṁ cūrṇitā | tāṁ śilāṁ cūrṇitāṁ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍur vismayam āgataḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als es herabstürzte, zerschmetterte es jene Felsplatte in hundert Stücke und zermahlte sie völlig zu Staub. Als König Pāṇḍu den Stein zu Pulver zerdrückt sah, ergriff ihn staunendes Entsetzen—eine unheilvolle Machtdemonstration, die die Gefahr ungezügelter Kraft im Wald erahnen lässt.

Word by Word

• पतता: by (him) falling / while falling
• पतता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त, पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन

• तेन: by him / with him
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन

• शतधा: into a hundred pieces; manifoldly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतधा (अव्यय)
• Form: true

• शिला: the rock/slab
• शिला: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला
• Form: स्त्री, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गिरैव: with a mountain indeed / by a mountain itself
• गिरैव: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि + एव
• Form: पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन, एव

• चूर्णिता: pulverized; crushed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चूर्णित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि), स्त्री, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ताम्: that (rock) (acc.)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शिलाम्: rock/slab (acc.)
• शिलाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चूर्णिताम्: crushed (acc. fem.)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चूर्णित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि), स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (त्वान्त), true

• पाण्डु-विस्मयम्: Pandu's astonishment
• पाण्डु-विस्मयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु + विस्मय
• Form: पुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आगतः: came to; became; was seized by
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकालिक/परिणाम), पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍu
• śilā (rock/slab)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how extraordinary force can produce unintended, alarming consequences; it invites reflection on restraint (dama) and responsible action, especially for a king whose power must remain aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A falling object/impact causes a rocky slab to be smashed into many pieces and reduced to powder. Witnessing this, King Pāṇḍu is filled with amazement, marking a dramatic moment in the forest narrative.