Shloka 39

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

गजाविव सुसंरब्धौ ज्वलिताविव पावकौ

Transliteration

gajāvivā susaṃrabdhau jvalitāvivā pāvakau

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: Los dos, ferozmente enfurecidos, eran como elefantes en must; y, ardiendo de ira, eran como fuegos encendidos: imagen de cómo la cólera sin freno en la guerra convierte la fuerza en una destrucción devoradora.

Word by Word

• गजौ: two elephants
• गजौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• सुसंरब्धौ: both greatly enraged/impetuous
• सुसंरब्धौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुसंरब्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• ज्वलितौ: both blazing
• ज्वलितौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वलित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• पावकौ: two fires
• पावकौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• elephants (gaja)
• fire (pāvaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how anger and battle-fury, though arising from power and courage, can become self-consuming like fire; ethical restraint is implied as the antidote to destructive rage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two combatants (implied from context) locked in intense confrontation, comparing their ferocity to maddened elephants and their blazing wrath to fire.