Shloka 32

Devanagari script

गत्या दशम्या ते गत्वा जघ्नुरवाजिरथद्विपान्‌

Transliteration

gatyā daśamyā te gatvā jaghnur avājiratha-dvipān

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: In ihrer zehnten Schlachtordnung rückten sie vor, gingen voran und schlugen die Pferde, Wagen und Elefanten des Feindes nieder—ein Bild dafür, wie disziplinierte taktische Bewegung sich in rasche, umfassende Vernichtung auf dem Schlachtfeld verwandelt.

Word by Word

• गत्या: by (their) speed/movement
• गत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• दशम्या: tenth (i.e., tenfold / of the tenth degree)
• दशम्या: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशमी
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• गत्वा: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here), Non-finite

• जघ्नुः: they slew/struck down
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• अवाजि-रथ-द्विपान्: foot-soldiers, chariots, and elephants
• अवाजि-रथ-द्विपान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवाजि-रथ-द्विप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horses
• chariots
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how disciplined, organized advance in war (a numbered formation or tactical movement) can translate into decisive outcomes; ethically, it reflects the grim reality of kṣatriya warfare where strategy and duty operate within a violent field of action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a group of warriors, moving in their ‘tenth’ tactical advance/formation, pressed forward and killed the opposing side’s key battlefield assets—horses, chariots, and elephants—indicating a successful, forceful push.