Shloka 116

Devanagari script

पृष्ठच्छिन्नान्‌ पार्श्वच्छिन्नान्‌ शिरश्छिन्नांस्तथा परान्‌

Transliteration

pṛṣṭhacchinnān pārśvacchinnān śiraśchinnāṁs tathā parān

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Some were cut down from behind, some were struck down at the side, and others had their heads severed as well.” The line underscores the ruthless, indiscriminate slaughter characteristic of the night-raid, highlighting the collapse of warrior-ethics and restraint in battle.

Word by Word

• पृष्ठच्छिन्नान्: cut on the back
• पृष्ठच्छिन्नान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृष्ठ-छिन्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पार्श्वच्छिन्नान्: cut on the side/flank
• पार्श्वच्छिन्नान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पार्श्व-छिन्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• शिरश्छिन्नान्: beheaded; with heads cut off
• शिरश्छिन्नान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिरस्-छिन्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तथा: thus; likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• परान्: others
• परान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse conveys the moral horror of violence carried out without fair combat—attacks from behind and in the dark—suggesting a breakdown of dharma and the warrior code, and emphasizing the ethical cost of vengeance-driven warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the aftermath and manner of killings during the Sauptika episode: bodies are found cut down from behind, from the side, and beheaded—graphic markers of a sudden, ruthless assault rather than open battlefield engagement.