Shloka 39
Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
Devanagari script
गजाविव सुसंरब्धौ ज्वलिताविव पावकौ
Transliteration
gajāvivā susaṃrabdhau jvalitāvivā pāvakau
Translation
Sañjaya sprach: Die beiden, heftig erregt, waren wie Elefanten im Musth; vor Zorn lodernd, glichen sie entfachten Feuern—ein Bild dafür, wie ungebändigter Zorn im Krieg Stärke in verzehrende Vernichtung verwandelt.
Word by Word
गजौtwo elephants
गजौ:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगज
FormMasculine, Nominative, Dual
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
सुसंरब्धौboth greatly enraged/impetuous
सुसंरब्धौ:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसुसंरब्ध
FormMasculine, Nominative, Dual
ज्वलितौboth blazing
ज्वलितौ:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootज्वलित
FormMasculine, Nominative, Dual
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
पावकौtwo fires
पावकौ:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपावक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Dual
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaE
elephants (gaja)F
fire (pāvaka)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
The verse underscores how anger and battle-fury, though arising from power and courage, can become self-consuming like fire; ethical restraint is implied as the antidote to destructive rage.
Sañjaya describes two combatants (implied from context) locked in intense confrontation, comparing their ferocity to maddened elephants and their blazing wrath to fire.