Shloka 2736

Devanagari script

सवाजिरथमातज्ा मृत्युलोकमितो गता: । 'पाण्डुनन्दन! पार्थ! इस प्रकार महाभयंकर युद्ध आरम्भ होनेपर तुम्हारे और भीमसेनके सामने आकर बहुत-से कौरव-सैनिक घोड़े, रथ और हाथियोंसहित यहाँसे यमलोक पधार गये

Transliteration

sa-vājiratha-mātaṅgā mṛtyulokam ito gatāḥ | pāṇḍunandana pārtha! evaṃ mahābhayaṅkare yuddhe ārabdhe tava bhīmasenasya ca sammukham āgatya bahavaḥ kaurava-sainikā aśva-ratha-hasti-sahitā iha-sthānād yama-lokaṃ padhāritāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O son of Pāṇḍu, O Pārtha! When this exceedingly dreadful battle began, many Kaurava soldiers, coming face to face with you and Bhīmasena, departed from this world to Yama’s realm—along with their horses, chariots, and elephants.”

Word by Word

• स: that/then (he/it)
• स: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• वाजि-रथ-हस्ति-जाताः: those (soldiers) having horses, chariots and elephants (i.e., accompanied by them)
• वाजि-रथ-हस्ति-जाताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (√जन्)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• मृत्यु-लोकम्: to the world of Death (Yama’s realm)
• मृत्यु-लोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्युलोक
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• इतः: from here
• इतः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतः

• गताः: went / have gone
• गताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गत (√गम्)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Pāṇḍunandana (Arjuna)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Bhīmasena
• Kaurava soldiers
• Yama
• Yamaloka
• horses
• chariots
• elephants
• Mṛtyuloka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grave moral weight of war: when battle becomes ‘mahābhayaṅkara’ (terrifying), death follows swiftly and indiscriminately, carrying away not only warriors but also the animals and instruments of war. It implicitly highlights the kṣatriya-world’s harsh reality—valor and confrontation lead to irreversible consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the dreadful fighting begins, many Kaurava troops, after confronting Arjuna (Pārtha) and Bhīma directly, are killed and ‘go from this mortal world to Yama’s realm,’ along with their horses, chariots, and elephants.