Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तं न देवा न गन्धर्वा न यक्षा न च राक्षसा:

Transliteration

taṃ na devā na gandharvā na yakṣā na ca rākṣasāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Neither the gods, nor the Gandharvas, nor the Yakṣas, nor even the Rākṣasas could withstand or overcome him—so extraordinary was his might in that moment of battle.”

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• गन्धर्वाः: Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• यक्षाः: Yakshas
• यक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• च: and/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• राक्षसाः: Rakshasas
• राक्षसाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• देवाः (Devas)
• गन्धर्वाः (Gandharvas)
• यक्षाः (Yakṣas)
• राक्षसाः (Rākṣasas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a cosmic scale of comparison—listing multiple classes of superhuman beings—to convey that certain moments in war reveal overwhelming force and inevitability. Ethically, it highlights how martial power can appear unstoppable, prompting reflection on the limits of resistance and the tragic momentum of adharma-driven conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a warrior whose prowess has become so formidable that even divine and semi-divine beings are invoked as unable to defeat him. It is a rhetorical intensification within the battle narrative, emphasizing fear, awe, and the turning of the tide.