Shloka 27

Devanagari script

हत्वा बहुविधा: सेना: पाण्डूनां युद्धदुर्मदः । कथंचित्‌ संकटान्मुक्तो मत्तद्विरदविक्रम:,मतवाले हाथीके समान पराक्रमी रणदुर्मद अश्वत्थामा पाण्डवोंकी विविध सेनाओंका संहार करके किसी प्रकार उस युद्ध-संकटसे मुक्त हुआ था

Transliteration

hatvā bahuvidhāḥ senāḥ pāṇḍūnāṃ yuddha-durmadaḥ | kathaṃcit saṅkaṭān mukto matta-dvirada-vikramaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Après avoir abattu des troupes des Pāṇḍavas de maintes sortes, Aśvatthāmā —ivre de la fureur du combat et doué de la puissance d’un éléphant en rut de rage— parvint, d’une manière ou d’une autre, à se dégager de cette crise périlleuse de la guerre. Le vers souligne l’élan brutal de la bataille et la tension morale entre la prouesse guerrière et la dévastation qu’elle entraîne.

Word by Word

हत्वाhaving slain

बहुविधाःmany kinds of

सेनाःarmies

पाण्डूनाम्of the Pāṇḍus/Pāṇḍavas

युद्ध-दुर्मदःfrenzied in battle

कथंचित्somehow

संकटात्from danger/distress

मुक्तःfreed, released

मत्त-द्विरद-विक्रमःwhose prowess is like that of an intoxicated elephant

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Aśvatthāmā

Pāṇḍavas

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 how war amplifies destructive pride and frenzy (yuddha-durmada), and how sheer prowess can enable survival—yet it implicitly raises ethical unease about glory built upon slaughter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā has killed many divisions of the Pāṇḍava forces and, despite the surrounding danger, has managed to extricate himself from the immediate crisis of battle.