Shloka 28

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

आपततन्तं गजानीकं दृष्टवा पार्थो वृकोदर:

Transliteration

āpatatantaṃ gajānīkaṃ dṛṣṭvā pārtho vṛkodaraḥ

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: Al ver al cuerpo de elefantes lanzarse hacia delante, Pārtha (Arjuna) y Vṛkodara (Bhīma) advirtieron el asalto inminente—imagen del ímpetu de la guerra, donde el valor y el discernimiento han de encontrarse con la fuerza bruta.

Word by Word

• आपततन्तम्: rushing/charging (towards)
• आपततन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपतत् (आपत् + शतृ)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• गजानीकम्: elephant-corps, elephant-division
• गजानीकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज + अनीक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• पार्थः: Partha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वृकोदरः: Vrikodara (Bhima; 'wolf-bellied')
• वृकोदरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृकोदर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• gajānīka (elephant corps)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical demand of kṣatriya-dharma in war: when overwhelming force advances, the righteous response is not panic but clear perception and resolute action guided by duty and strategy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna and Bhīma see an elephant division charging toward them, signaling an intensification of the battle and setting up their response to a formidable battlefield threat.