Shloka 53
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
Devanagari script
स तु तेन प्रहारेण मातड़़ इव रोषित:
Transliteration
sa tu tena prahāreṇa mātaṅga iva roṣitaḥ
Translation
Mais lui, frappé par ce coup, s’enflamma de rage—tel un éléphant devenu fou—signe de la colère que la bataille attise sans cesse.
Word by Word
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
तेनby that (by him/with that)
तेन:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular
प्रहारेणby the blow/strike
प्रहारेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootप्रहार
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
मत्तःmaddened, frenzied
मत्तः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमत्त
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इवas if/like
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
रोषितःangered, enraged
रोषितः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootरोषित
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
Sañjaya (speaker)U
unnamed warrior (saḥ)E
elephant (mātaṅga)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
The verse highlights how a single blow can ignite overpowering anger in war; ethically, it points to the danger of letting roṣa (wrath) govern action, since dharma in battle still demands discernment and self-control.
Sañjaya describes a warrior who, after being struck, reacts with intense fury, compared to a maddened elephant—an image used to convey sudden, unstoppable aggression on the battlefield.