Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अथाभ्यधावंस्त्वरिता: शतं रथा: शतं गजाश्चार्जुममाततायिन:

Transliteration

athābhyadhāvaṁs tvaritāḥ śataṁ rathāḥ śataṁ gajāś cārjumam ātatāyinaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, in great haste, a hundred chariots and a hundred elephants charged forward against Arjuna, assailing him and branding him an “ātatāyin”—an aggressor.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अभ्यधावन्: ran towards / charged
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+धाव्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• त्वरिताः: hastened, swift
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शतम्: a hundred
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• रथाः: chariots
• रथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शतम्: a hundred
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• गजाः: elephants
• गजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अर्जुनम्: Arjuna
• अर्जुनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आततायिनः: assailants, aggressors
• आततायिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आततायिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• chariots
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, opponents may employ moral labels (like ‘ātatāyin’) to portray a righteous fighter as a criminal aggressor, thereby legitimizing extreme violence. It invites reflection on dharma: ethical judgment can be distorted by partisanship and battlefield urgency.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a large force—one hundred chariots and one hundred elephants—rushes swiftly to attack Arjuna, presenting him as an ‘ātatāyin’ (aggressor) as they close in for combat.