Shloka 34
Devanagari script
तपनीयाड्दं चित्र नागं मणिमयं शुभम्
Transliteration
tapanīyāḍḍaṃ citra nāgaṃ maṇimayaṃ śubham
Translation
Sañjaya said: “(He beheld) a splendid, jewel-adorned, wondrous elephant, richly fashioned with gold.”
Word by Word
तपनीयात्from gold
तपनीयात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootतपनीय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन
इदम्this
इदम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootइदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
चित्रम्wonderful/variegated
चित्रम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
नागम्elephant
नागम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootनाग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
मणिमयम्made of gems
मणिमयम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootमणिमय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
शुभम्auspicious/beautiful
शुभम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaE
elephant (nāga)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line highlights the allure of royal and martial splendor—gold and gems used to magnify power and prestige—yet, in the war setting, such magnificence is ultimately subordinate to the ethical weight of action (dharma/adharma) and the consequences of violence.
Sañjaya is describing a striking, richly ornamented elephant—golden and gem-studded—within the battlefield narrative of the Karṇa Parva, emphasizing the grandeur of the forces and their equipment amid the unfolding combat.