Shloka 26

शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्

Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally

Devanagari script

हत विद्धयत गृह्नलीत प्रहरध्वं निकृन्तत

Transliteration

hata viddhyata gṛhṇīta praharadhvaṃ nikṛntata

Translation

Sanjaya said: “Strike down the fallen; pierce them; seize them; assault them; cut them to pieces.”

Word by Word

• हत: slain / struck down
• हत: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• विद्धयत: pierce (you all)! / strike!
• विद्धयत: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यम, बहुवचन

• गृह्णीत: seize (you all)! / take hold!
• गृह्णीत: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यम, बहुवचन

• प्रहरध्वम्: strike (you all)! / attack!
• प्रहरध्वम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हृ (धातु) / प्रहर् (पर्याय-धातु-प्रयोगः)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यम, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• निकृन्तत: cut down (you all)! / hew!
• निकृन्तत: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-कृत् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यम, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war can erode moral restraint: commands meant to secure victory can slide into cruelty, raising questions about the limits of kṣatriya conduct and the ethical cost of rage and desperation in battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a fierce battlefield exhortation—an urgent set of imperatives ordering warriors to attack relentlessly: to strike, pierce, capture, and cut down opponents, indicating an intensified phase of combat.