Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सो5तिविद्धो बलवता शत्रुणा शत्रुतापन:

Transliteration

so ’tividdho balavatā śatruṇā śatrutāpanaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Pierced with great force by his powerful enemy, the scorcher of foes was grievously wounded—showing how, in war, even the mighty are brought low when hostility ripens into decisive violence.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अतिविद्धः: pierced through / grievously wounded
• अतिविद्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिविद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बलवता: by the strong (one)
• बलवता: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलवत्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• शत्रुणा: by the enemy
• शत्रुणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• शत्रुतापनः: enemy-scorcher (one who torments enemies)
• शत्रुतापनः: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शत्रुतापन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• an unnamed enemy (śatru)
• the unnamed warrior described as śatrutāpanaḥ

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh moral reality of warfare: strength and reputation do not guarantee safety, and enmity culminates in real suffering. It invites reflection on the cost of hostility and the fragility of embodied power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a prominent warrior—described by the epithet ‘scorcher of foes’—has been powerfully struck and badly pierced by an enemy, marking a turning point in the immediate combat sequence.