Shloka 16
Devanagari script
तमुत्पतन्तं शयनाददश्व॒त्थामा महाबल:
Transliteration
tam utpatantaṃ śayanād adaśvatthāmā mahābalaḥ
Translation
Sanjaya said: Then Aśvatthāmā, mighty in strength, saw him spring up from his bed—an abrupt movement that signaled alarm and drove the night’s events onward with tense, violent momentum.
Word by Word
तम्him
तम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
उत्पतन्तम्leaping up / springing up
उत्पतन्तम्:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootउत्-√पत्
FormPresent active participle (Parasmaipada), Masculine, Accusative, Singular
शयनात्from (his) bed / from lying down
शयनात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootशयन
FormNeuter, Ablative, Singular
ददर्शsaw
ददर्श:
Karta
TypeVerb
Root√दृश्
FormPerfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada
अश्वत्थामाAshvatthaman
अश्वत्थामा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअश्वत्थामन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
महाबलःmighty / of great strength
महाबलः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमहाबल
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
A
AśvatthāmāB
bed (śayana)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how swiftly fear and aggression escalate in a climate of vengeance: a single sudden movement becomes a trigger in a night governed by suspicion and violence, highlighting the ethical collapse characteristic of the Sauptika episode.
Sanjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā notices someone abruptly rising from a bed. The moment functions as a narrative cue of alarm and imminent action within the nocturnal events of the Sauptika Parva.