Shloka 26

Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall

Devanagari script

ततः प्राग्ज्योतिषो राजा नागराजं समास्थित: । यथा वज्रधर: पूर्व संग्रामे तारकामये

Transliteration

tataḥ prāgjyotiṣo rājā nāgarājaṃ samāsthitaḥ | yathā vajradharaḥ pūrvaṃ saṅgrāme tārakāmaye ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Dann rückte der König von Prāgjyotiṣa, auf einem herrlichen Elefanten sitzend, vor—wie einst im Tārakāmaya-Krieg Indra, der Träger des Vajra, auf Airāvata zum Kampf auszog.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय

• प्राग्ज्योतिषः: the (king) of Pragjyotiṣa
• प्राग्ज्योतिषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राग्ज्योतिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नागराजम्: the lord of elephants (a great elephant)
• नागराजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समास्थितः: mounted, having taken position upon
• समास्थितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-स्था (धातु) / समास्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा
• Form: अव्यय

• वज्रधरः: the thunderbolt-bearer (Indra)
• वज्रधरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्रधर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• संग्रामे: in the battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तारकामये: in the Tārakāmaya (battle/war)
• तारकामये: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तारकामय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Prāgjyotiṣa
• Bhagadatta
• Indra (Vajradhara)
• Airāvata
• Nāgarāja (great elephant)
• Tārakāmaya-saṅgrāma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how worldly power and martial pride can mirror divine-scale conflict: kings on the battlefield adopt grand, celestial models of warfare, reminding the listener that war magnifies both prowess and the moral weight of one’s choices.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣa, arriving for the great battle mounted on a mighty elephant, likening his advance to Indra riding Airāvata in the ancient Tārakāmaya war.