Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गजाश्चममितं हत्वा हता: सप्त महारथा: । हत्वा पजच सहस्राणि रथानां प्रपितामह:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

gajāś ca amitaṁ hatvā hatāḥ sapta mahārathāḥ |

hatvā pañca sahasrāṇi rathānāṁ prapitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Après avoir abattu un nombre incommensurable d’éléphants, le Vénérable Aïeul (Bhīṣma) fit tomber aussi sept grands guerriers de char. Et, après avoir détruit cinq mille chars, Prapitāmaha poursuivit son œuvre terrible sur le champ de bataille.

Word by Word

• गजान्: elephants
• गजान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अमितम्: immeasurable (a vast number)
• अमितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमित
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• हत्वा: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• हताः: were slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सप्त: seven
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महारथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हत्वा: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• पञ्च: five
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• रथानाम्: of chariots
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• प्रपितामहः: the great-grandsire (Bhishma)
• प्रपितामहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपितामह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Prapitāmaha (Bhīṣma)
• war-elephants (gaja)
• chariots (ratha)
• seven mahārathas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the immense destructiveness of war even when performed as duty: extraordinary martial prowess can coexist with grave human (and animal) cost, inviting reflection on dharma in conflict and the ethical weight of battlefield action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s battlefield exploits: he slays countless war-elephants, brings down seven elite chariot-warriors, and destroys five thousand chariots, emphasizing the scale of carnage and Bhīṣma’s dominance in the fighting.