Shloka 26

Devanagari script

आह्वयन्तं परानीकं प्रभिन्नमिव वारणम्‌

Transliteration

āhvayantaṃ parānīkaṃ prabhinnam iva vāraṇam

Translation

Sañjaya said: “He was challenging the enemy host, like a rut-maddened elephant that has broken through its restraints.”

Word by Word

• आह्वयन्तम्: calling, challenging
• आह्वयन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: आह्वयत् (√ह्वे/ह्वा with उपसर्ग आ-)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• परानीकम्: the enemy army/host
• परानीकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: परानीक (पर + अनीक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रभिन्नम्: rushing/maddened (as an elephant in musth), breaking forth
• प्रभिन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभिन्न (pra- + √भिद्, past passive participle)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, क्त (PPP)

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• वारणम्: elephant
• वारणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• enemy army (parānīka)
• elephant (vāraṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the warrior-ethos of the battlefield: fearless confrontation of the opposing force, conveyed through the image of an elephant in rut—powerful, unrestrained, and undeterred. Ethically, it underscores how martial courage is praised in the epic’s war context, even as it intensifies the tragedy of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant who is actively challenging the enemy formation. The comparison to a prabhinna (rut-maddened, breaking loose) elephant emphasizes the fighter’s momentum and intimidating presence as he presses into the opposing host.