Shloka 22

Devanagari script

ते हन्यमाना: समरे पठ्चाला: सोमकास्तथा

Transliteration

te hanyamānāḥ samare pañcālāḥ somakās tathā

Translation

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the Pañcālas and the Somakas were being cut down.

Word by Word

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

• हन्यमानाः: being slain / being struck
• हन्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हन्यमान (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय, कर्मणि वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Passive, Present (contemporaneous participle)

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पाञ्चालाः: the Panchalas
• पाञ्चालाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चाल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सोमकाः: the Somakas
• सोमकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pañcālas
• Somakas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim reality of dharma-yuddha as experienced on the ground: even righteous alliances and noble causes do not prevent mass suffering. It invites reflection on responsibility, consequence, and the severe cost inherent in kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, during the ongoing fighting, the Pañcāla and Somaka forces are being slain in large numbers—indicating a turning point or intensification of slaughter within the Drona Parva battle sequence.