Mahabharata 9.18.32 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 18, Shloka 32

शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्

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

Devanagari script

वातायमानैस्तुरगैर्युगासक्तैस्ततस्तत:

Transliteration

vātāyamānaiḥ turagair yugāsaktaiḥ tatas tataḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, with horses harnessed to the yoke and surging forward as if driven by the wind, they sped on from place to place—an image of relentless motion amid the press of war.

Word by Word

• वातायमानैः: by/with (those) rushing swiftly
• वातायमानैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वातायमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √या)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तुरगैः: by/with horses
• तुरगैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुरग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• युगासक्तैः: yoked/attached to the yoke
• युगासक्तैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युगासक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √सञ्ज्/सज्)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• ततः: then; thereafter; from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ततः: then; thereafter; from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horses
• yoke (yuga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the unstoppable momentum of war: once violence is unleashed, events rush forward with wind-like speed, reminding the listener of the grave consequences of choices made in adharma-driven conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes rapid battlefield movement—horses, already harnessed to the yoke, racing swiftly from one point to another—conveying the intensity and constant repositioning typical of chariot warfare.