Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ततो दशसहस््राणि गजानां भीमकर्मणाम्‌,“तत्पश्चात्‌ भीमसेनने राजा जयत्सेनके भयानक कर्म करनेवाले दस हजार हाथियोंको, जो उन्हें सब ओरसे घेरकर खड़े थे, गदाके आघातसे नष्ट कर दिया। तदनन्तर और भी बहुत-से हाथी तथा सैकड़ों रथ उनके द्वारा बलपूर्वक नष्ट किये गये

Transliteration

tato daśasahasrāṇi gajānāṃ bhīmakarmaṇām |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Bhīmasena, by the crushing blows of his mace, destroyed ten thousand elephants of dreadful prowess that had stood surrounding him on every side. Thereafter he forcefully shattered many more elephants and hundreds of chariots as well—an image of overwhelming martial might in the midst of a ruthless battlefield where valor and destruction move together.

Word by Word

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

• दश: ten
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: indeclinable numeral used in compound

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, plural

• गजानाम्: of elephants
• गजानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• भीमकर्मणाम्: of dreadful deeds / of terrible action
• भीमकर्मणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीमकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• elephants (gaja)
• mace (gadā)
• chariots (ratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic tension: kṣatriya valor and duty manifest as extraordinary martial force, yet the narrative simultaneously highlights the immense scale of destruction that accompanies such prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports Bhīma’s battlefield feat: surrounded on all sides, Bhīma smashes a vast elephant contingent with his mace, and then continues to destroy additional elephants and hundreds of chariots.