Shloka 42

शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni

with Ulūka’s fall

Devanagari script

ततः प्रायात्‌ त्वरन्‌ पार्थो दीर्घकालं सुसंवृतम्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ prāyāt tvaran pārtho dīrghakālaṃ susaṃvṛtam

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: Luego Pārtha partió con premura, tras largo tiempo de haber sido contenido y mantenido bajo freno—señal de un retorno decisivo a la acción en medio de las presiones de la guerra y el deber.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter; from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्
• Form: Ablatival adverb (from तद्), indeclinable

• प्रायात्: departed; went forth
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (या गतौ)
• Form: Aorist (luṅ), Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• त्वरन्: hastening
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्वर्
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), masculine nominative singular

• पार्थः: Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, nominative singular

• दीर्घकालम्: for a long time
• दीर्घकालम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घकाल
• Form: Masculine, accusative singular (used adverbially)

• सुसंवृतम्: well-covered; well-concealed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-संवृत
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), neuter accusative singular (agreeing with दीर्घकालम् as a descriptive adjunct)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after prolonged restraint or delay, one must act decisively when dharma and responsibility call—especially in a crisis where hesitation can endanger the larger good.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna (Pārtha) finally moves out swiftly, implying a shift from being held back or contained to taking immediate action within the unfolding battle events.