Shloka 16

दुःशासनवधः (Duḥśāsana-vadha) — Bhīma’s vow-fulfillment in combat

Devanagari script

ततो यौधिष्ठिरं सैन्यं वध्यमानं महात्मना

Transliteration

tato yauḍhiṣṭhiraṃ sainyaṃ vadhyamānaṃ mahātmanā

Translation

Then the army of Yudhiṣṭhira, being cut down by that great-souled warrior, began to suffer grievously—an image of war’s relentless momentum, where even a righteous cause must endure the harsh consequences of violence on the battlefield.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable)

• यौधिष्ठिरम्: belonging to Yudhiṣṭhira / of Yudhiṣṭhira
• यौधिष्ठिरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यौधिष्ठिर (युधिष्ठिर-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सैन्यम्: army
• सैन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वध्यमानम्: being slain, being killed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध्यमान (√वध्/वध् ‘to slay’ + यमान; कर्मणि वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सैन्यम् इति विशेषणम्)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one stands with dharma, war unleashes suffering that does not discriminate; the verse underscores the ethical gravity of violence and the inevitability of painful consequences once battle is joined.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira’s forces are being slaughtered by a ‘great-souled’ warrior, indicating a moment of severe pressure and loss for the Pāṇḍava side in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.