Shloka 37

Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava

Devanagari script

आविद्धनरनागाश्चं पतितध्वजकूबरम्‌

Transliteration

āviddha-nara-nāgāś ca patita-dhvaja-kūbaram

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «On voyait des hommes et des éléphants frappés et abattus ; et le char gisait, son étendard et sa hampe renversés.»

Word by Word

• आविद्ध: pierced, transfixed
• आविद्ध: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-व्यध् (धातु) → आविद्ध (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• नरनागम्: a man-elephant (elephant used in war/with men), i.e., an elephant
• नरनागम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• पतितध्वजकूबरम्: whose flag and pole/top-piece have fallen
• पतितध्वजकूबरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित + ध्वज + कूबर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• men/warriors (nara)
• elephants (nāga)
• chariot banner (dhvaja)
• chariot pole/yoke (kūbara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tangible aftermath of battle—bodies and broken war-gear—prompting reflection on the moral gravity of warfare: even when undertaken as duty, violence produces irreversible loss and demands accountability in intention and conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a battlefield scene where warriors and elephants have been struck down, and a chariot’s insignia and structural pole have fallen—signs of defeat, destruction, and the turning of fortune amid combat.