Mahabharata 11.21.4 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 4

अध्याय २१ — गान्धार्या वैकर्तनदर्शनम्

Gāndhārī’s Viewing of Vaikartana/Karṇa

Devanagari script

यं सम पाण्डवसंत्रासान्मम पुत्रा महारथा: । प्रायुध्यन्त पुरस्कृत्य मातज्रा इव यूथपम्‌

Transliteration

yaṁ sama-pāṇḍava-saṁtrāsān mama putrā mahārathāḥ | prāyudhyanta puraskṛtya mātangā iva yūthapam ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Ce héros même que mes fils—grands maharathas—plaçaient jadis en avant et derrière lequel ils combattaient, tels des éléphants rassemblés autour du chef du troupeau, et dont la seule présence glaçait les Pāṇḍavas de peur—c’est lui que Savyasācī Arjuna a tué sur le champ de bataille, comme un lion abat un autre lion, ou comme un éléphant en musth renverse un seigneur rival des éléphants.»

Word by Word

• यम्: whom
• यम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पाण्डव-संत्रासात्: from fear of the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डव-संत्रासात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव-संत्रास
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• मम: of me / my
• मम: —
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• प्रायुध्यन्त: they fought
• प्रायुध्यन्त: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• पुरस्कृत्य: having placed in front / having put forward
• पुरस्कृत्य: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस्-कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), Active

• मातङ्गाः: elephants
• मातङ्गाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• इव: like, as
• इव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• यूथपम्: the leader of the herd
• यूथपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यूथप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Arjuna (Savyasācī)
• Pāṇḍavas
• Kauravas (speaker’s sons)
• yūthapa (herd-leader elephant, as simile)
• lion (simile)
• musth elephant / lord of elephants (simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how even the most relied-upon champions—those set at the very front as protectors and sources of confidence—can fall in war. It highlights the fragility of martial power and the tragic inevitability that fuels the Stree Parva’s ethical reflection on violence and loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a key battlefield reversal: a formidable warrior, formerly advanced by the Kauravas as their spearhead and a terror to the Pāṇḍavas, has been killed by Arjuna. The event is intensified through animal similes (lion vs lion; musth elephant vs musth elephant) to convey equal strength and decisive defeat.