Shloka 416

Devanagari script

गदया राक्षसो घोरो निजघान ननाद च । भयानक शब्द करनेवाली उस विशाल गदाको आती देख भयंकर राक्षस अलायुधने अपनी गदासे उसपर आघात किया और बड़े जोरसे गर्जना की

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | gadayā rākṣaso ghoro nijaghāna nanāda ca |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Der schreckliche Rākṣasa schlug mit seiner Keule zu und brüllte auf. Als er die riesige Keule heranrasen sah, begleitet von furchterregendem Dröhnen, fing der grausige Rākṣasa—Alāyudha—sie mit einem Schlag seiner eigenen Keule ab und donnerte mächtig.

Word by Word

गदयाwith a mace

राक्षसःthe demon

घोरःterrible, fierce

निजघानstruck, smote

ननादroared

चand

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Alāyudha

rākṣasa

gadā (mace)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the war-ethos of the battlefield: raw force, intimidation, and immediate retaliation dominate. Ethically, it underscores how conflict amplifies fear and aggression, reminding readers that unchecked wrath and violence can overwhelm discernment and dharmic restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a mace-fight moment: the fearsome rākṣasa Alāyudha sees a massive, terrifyingly sounding mace coming toward him, strikes back with his own mace, and roars loudly, intensifying the battle’s dread and ferocity.