Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ततस्तु त्वरितो भीम: क्राथथं निन्‍्ये यमक्षयम्‌

Transliteration

tatastu tvarito bhīmaḥ krāthathaṃ ninye yamakṣayam

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Bhīma, moving with swift resolve, drove Krāthatha down to Yama’s realm—sending him to death in the midst of battle, a stark reminder of how quickly fate turns on the battlefield.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (तस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from there/then')

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु
• Form: Avyaya (particle)

• त्वरितः: hastened/quickened
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरित (कृदन्त; त्वर् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• भीमः: Bhima
• भीमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम
• Form: Masculine, nominative, singular

• क्राथथम्: Krāthatha (a proper name/epithet; object taken/led)
• क्राथथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्राथथ (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-शब्द)
• Form: Neuter, accusative, singular

• निन्ये: led/took (to)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (नयति)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, singular, Parasmaipada

• यमक्षयम्: to Yama's abode (death's realm)
• यमक्षयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमक्षय
• Form: Masculine, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīma
• Krāthatha
• Yama
• Yama’s abode (Yamakṣaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the battlefield reality that decisive action and martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) can culminate in death without delay; it also evokes the ethical gravity of war, where victory is inseparable from mortality and accountability before Yama.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, acting swiftly, overpowers Krāthatha and sends him to “Yama’s abode,” a conventional epic expression meaning he kills him in combat.