Shloka 41

Devanagari script

भिन्नमर्मा शरशतैश्छिन्नहस्त: स वारण: । भीममार्तस्वरं कृत्वा पपात च ममार च,सैकड़ों बाणोंसे उसके मर्म विद्ध हो गये थे और उसकी सूँड़ भी काट डाली गयी। इससे भयंकर आर्तनाद करके वह गजराज भूमिपर गिरा और मर गया

Transliteration

bhinnamarmā śaraśataiś chinnahastaḥ sa vāraṇaḥ | bhīmam ārta-svaraṃ kṛtvā papāta ca mamāra ca ||

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: Herido en sus puntos vitales por cientos de flechas, y con la trompa cercenada, aquel gran elefante lanzó un espantoso grito de agonía; luego se desplomó en tierra y murió. La escena subraya la brutal irrevocabilidad de la guerra, donde incluso las criaturas poderosas quedan reducidas al sufrimiento y a la muerte en medio del choque de las armas.

Word by Word

भिन्नमर्माwhose vital parts were pierced/broken

शरशतैःby hundreds of arrows

छिन्नहस्तःwhose trunk/hand was cut off

सःhe/that

वारणःthe elephant

भीममार्तस्वरम्a terrible cry of distress

कृत्वाhaving made/uttering

पपातfell

चand

ममारdied

चand

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

war-elephant (vāraṇa)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of warfare: strength and majesty offer no immunity from pain and death. It implicitly invites reflection on the cost of battle and the suffering inflicted on all beings caught in it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes a war-elephant struck in vital points by hundreds of arrows; its trunk is cut off, it cries out in agony, collapses, and dies on the battlefield.