Shloka 20

Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation

Devanagari script

रणे पण्डितकश्नैनं त्रिभिर्बाणै: समार्पयत्‌ । स तन्न ममृषे भीम: शत्रुभिर्वधमाहवे

Transliteration

raṇe paṇḍitakaś cainaṃ tribhir bāṇaiḥ samārpayat | sa tan na mamṛṣe bhīmaḥ śatrubhir vadham āhave |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Kampf traf Paṇḍitaka Bhīmasena mit drei Pfeilen. Bhīma vermochte diesen Angriff seiner Feinde auf dem Schlachtfeld nicht zu ertragen, und sein Zorn loderte auf.

Word by Word

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• पाण्डितकः: Pāṇḍitaka (a warrior)
• पाण्डितकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डितक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एनम्: him
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• समार्पयत्: struck/shot (lit. caused to be delivered)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√अर्प्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that (blow/act)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• ममृषे: endured/tolerated
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मृष्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

• भीमः: Bhīma
• भीमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शत्रुभिः: by enemies
• शत्रुभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वधम्: slaying/attack
• वधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आहवे: in the battle
• आहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Paṇḍitaka
• Bhīma (Bhīmasena)
• arrows (bāṇa)
• battlefield (raṇa/āhava)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic: injury and challenge are met with steadfastness and a forceful response. It also shows how quickly anger can arise when one feels attacked—an ethical tension in war between endurance (kṣamā) and the duty to retaliate in combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the warrior Paṇḍitaka wounds Bhīmasena with three arrows. Bhīma, unable to tolerate the enemies’ assault in the fight, is provoked—setting up his counteraction in the continuing battle scene.