Shloka 20
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
Devanagari script
ततः शत्रुवधं कृत्वा सुमहान्तं रणे पित:
Transliteration
tataḥ śatruvadhaṃ kṛtvā sumahāntaṃ raṇe pitaḥ
Translation
Entonces, tras consumar en la batalla una matanza inmensa de enemigos, el padre—agotado por el combate—prosiguió su marcha.
Word by Word
ततःthen, thereafter
ततः:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
Formtrue
शत्रु-वधम्the slaying of the enemy
शत्रु-वधम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootशत्रु + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
कृत्वाhaving done, having performed
कृत्वा:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootकृ (धातु)
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)
सु-महान्तम्very great
सु-महान्तम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootसु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + महान्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
रणेin battle
रणे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरण (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
पितःO father
पितः:
Sambodhana
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Even when war is undertaken as a duty, its outcome—enemy-slaying—brings exhaustion and moral weight; victory is not portrayed as pure triumph but as a costly necessity with human consequences.
Vaiśampāyana describes a moment after intense fighting: a warrior (not named in this fragment) has carried out major enemy-killing in battle and is left fatigued, setting up the next narrative movement.