Shloka 121

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

दिष्ट्या कलिड्डराजश्न राजपुत्रश्न केतुमान्‌ । शक्रदेवश्व कालिज्गभः कलिड्राश्व मृधे हता:

Transliteration

diṣṭyā kaliṅgarājaś ca rājaputraś ca ketumān | śakradevaś ca kaliṅgabhaḥ kaliṅgāś ca mṛdhe hatāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “It is well that the king of Kaliṅga, and the prince Ketumān, and Śakradeva, and Kaliṅgabha, and the Kaliṅga warriors have been slain in battle.”

Word by Word

• दिष्ट्या: fortunately / by good luck
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिष्टि
• Form: Avyaya (instrumental sense: 'by good fortune')

• कलिङ्गराजः: the king of Kalinga
• कलिङ्गराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिङ्गराज
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• राजपुत्रः: the prince
• राजपुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• केतुमान्: Ketumān (the bannered one; proper name)
• केतुमान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केतुमत्
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• शक्रदेवः: Śakradeva (proper name)
• शक्रदेवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्रदेव
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya

• कालिङ्गभः: Kāliṅgabha (proper name)
• कालिङ्गभः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिङ्गभ
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• कलिङ्गाः: the Kalingas
• कलिङ्गाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya

• मृधे: in battle
• मृधे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृध्
• Form: Feminine, locative, singular

• हताः: were slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), masculine nominative plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kaliṅga (kingdom/people)
• Kaliṅgarāja (King of Kaliṅga)
• Ketumān
• Śakradeva
• Kaliṅgabha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, success is often expressed as “good fortune” when dangerous adversaries fall; ethically, it points to the tension between strategic necessity (protecting one’s side) and the sobering reality that such ‘fortune’ is built upon widespread death.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that leading figures and fighters from Kaliṅga—named chiefs and the broader contingent—have been killed in the fighting, indicating a significant setback for that allied force on the battlefield.