Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तेनाभिपतिता दावं शैलेन महता भृशम्‌ | शृद्रेण निहतास्तत्र प्राणिन: खाण्डवालया:,वहाँ गिरे हुए उस महान्‌ पर्वतशिखरके द्वारा खाण्डववनमें निवास करनेवाले बहुतसे प्राणी मारे गये

Transliteration

tenābhipatitā dāvaṃ śailena mahatā bhṛśam | śūdreṇa nihatās tatra prāṇinaḥ khāṇḍavālayāḥ |

Translation

वहाँ उस महान् पर्वत-शिखर के प्रचण्ड वेग से वनाग्नि पर गिर पड़ने से खाण्डववन में रहने वाले बहुत-से प्राणी मारे गए।

Word by Word

• तेन: by that (by him/it)
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• अभिपतिताः: having fallen upon / having rushed down
• अभिपतिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-√पत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दावम्: forest-fire / conflagration
• दावम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शैलेन: by a mountain (rock)
• शैलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महतā: great
• महतā: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• भृशम्: exceedingly / greatly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भृशम्

• शृद्रेण: by Śṛdra (proper name) / by the Śṛdra (agent)
• शृद्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शृद्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• निहताः: were slain / killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• प्राणिनः: living beings / creatures
• प्राणिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• खाण्डवालयाः: dwelling in the Khāṇḍava (forest)
• खाण्डवालयाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खाण्डव-आलय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Khāṇḍava forest
• forest-fire (dāva)
• mountain/rocky peak (śaila)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical reality that large-scale violent actions can cause indiscriminate suffering, especially to vulnerable beings who are not direct participants in the conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

A huge mountain-peak crashes down with great force into the forest-fire, and many creatures living in the Khāṇḍava forest are killed as a result.