Shloka 33

Devanagari script

यथा दैत्यचमूं शक्रस्तापयामास संयुगे | तथा भीष्म: पाण्डवेयांस्तापयामास भारत

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yathā daityacamūṃ śakrastāpayāmāsa saṃyuge | tathā bhīṣmaḥ pāṇḍaveyāṃstāpayāmāsa bhārata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Just as Śakra (Indra), in battle, once scorched the host of the Dānavas, so too Bhīṣma was now scorching the Pāṇḍava warriors, O Bhārata.” The verse frames Bhīṣma’s onslaught as a divinely comparable force, heightening the moral tension of war, where prowess and duty operate amid grievous human cost.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• दैत्य-चमूम्: the army of the Daityas
• दैत्य-चमूम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्यचमू
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• शक्रः: Indra (Śakra)
• शक्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तापयामास: caused to burn / tormented
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic Perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, true

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तथा: so / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• भीष्मः: Bhīṣma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पाण्डवेयान्: the Pāṇḍava warriors/men
• पाण्डवेयान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डवेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तापयामास: caused to burn / tormented
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic Perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, true

• भारत: O Bhārata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भारत: O Bhārata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śakra (Indra)
• Daityas
• Bhīṣma
• Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍava warriors)
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how overwhelming martial power can resemble divine force, yet it also intensifies the ethical weight of war: even when a warrior acts within kṣatriya-duty, the result is real torment and suffering for opponents. The epic invites reflection on duty performed amid tragic consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is dominating the battlefield, afflicting the Pāṇḍava fighters. He illustrates Bhīṣma’s impact through a comparison to Indra scorching the Daitya host in a mythic battle.