Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तिष्ठ तिष्ठ सहस्वैंकं गदापातमिमं मम

Transliteration

tiṣṭha tiṣṭha sahasvaikaṃ gadāpātam imaṃ mama

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Stand your ground—stand! Endure this single blow of my mace.” The line captures the warrior’s demand for steadfastness in the midst of battle, where courage and endurance are tested even as violence escalates.

Word by Word

• तिष्ठ: stand! / stop!
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (तिष्ठति)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), 2nd, singular, परस्मैपद

• तिष्ठ: stand! (repeated for emphasis)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (तिष्ठति)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), 2nd, singular, परस्मैपद

• सहस्व: endure! / bear!
• Type: Verb
• Root: सह्
• Form: लोट् (imperative), 2nd, singular, परस्मैपद

• एकम्: one (single)
• एकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• गदापातम्: a blow/strike of a mace
• गदापातम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदापात
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• मम: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• gadā (mace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds steadfastness under pressure: in a dharma-shaped warrior ethos, one is expected to hold one’s ground and endure hardship without panic, even when facing imminent harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the battle narration relayed by Sañjaya, a combatant issues a direct challenge—ordering the opponent to remain standing and to withstand a single mace-strike—signaling an intense close-quarters exchange.