Shloka 5

Devanagari script

निवारयन्तं कृच्छात्तान्‌ श्वापदांश्व चिखादिषून्‌ | विचेष्टमानं महयां च सुभूशं गाढवेदनम्‌

Transliteration

nivārayantaṃ kṛcchrāt tān śvāpādāṃś ca khādīṣūn | viceṣṭamānaṃ mahyāṃ ca subhūśaṃ gāḍhavedanam ||

Translation

સંજય બોલ્યા—તે બહુ કઠિનાઈથી તે હિંસક પશુઓ અને માંસભક્ષી જીવોને અટકાવવાનો પ્રયત્ન કરતો હતો. તે ધરતી પર તડફડતો હતો—અતિ પીડિત, તીવ્ર અને અવિરત વેદનાથી વ્યાકુળ।

Word by Word

• निवारयन्तम्: restraining, warding off
• निवारयन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: निवारयत् (√वार्/√वृ + नि, caus.)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, Present active participle

• कृच्छात्: from distress/difficulty
• कृच्छात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• श्वापदान्: wild beasts/predators
• श्वापदान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• चिखादिषून्: chikhādiṣus (unclear; possibly a class/name of creatures)
• चिखादिषून्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिखादिषु (uncertain reading)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• विचेष्टमानम्: struggling, writhing
• विचेष्टमानम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: विचेष्टमान (√चेष्ट् + वि)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, Present middle participle

• महया: with/on the earth (ground)
• महया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• सुभूशम्: well-adorned / of good appearance (reading uncertain)
• सुभूशम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुभूष (uncertain; possibly सुभूषित/सुभूष)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• गाढवेदनम्: having intense pain
• गाढवेदनम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गाढवेदन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• wild beasts (śvāpada)
• flesh-eating creatures (khādīṣu)
• the ground/earth (mahī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the brutal moral residue of war: even after victory or defeat, suffering continues in forms that strip away dignity and protection. It implicitly warns that violence unleashes consequences beyond the battlefield, calling the listener toward restraint and compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a grievously wounded person on the battlefield aftermath, struggling on the ground and trying with difficulty to fend off predators and flesh-eating creatures drawn to the carnage, while enduring intense pain.