Shloka 37
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
Devanagari script
आविद्धनरनागाश्चं पतितध्वजकूबरम्
Transliteration
āviddha-nara-nāgāś ca patita-dhvaja-kūbaram
Translation
मनुष्य और हाथी बाणों से विद्ध होकर गिर पड़े, और रथ का ध्वज तथा कूबर भी गिरा हुआ था।
Word by Word
आविद्धpierced, transfixed
आविद्ध:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootआ-व्यध् (धातु) → आविद्ध (कृदन्त, क्त)
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
नरनागम्a man-elephant (elephant used in war/with men), i.e., an elephant
नरनागम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootनर + नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
पतितध्वजकूबरम्whose flag and pole/top-piece have fallen
पतितध्वजकूबरम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootपतित + ध्वज + कूबर (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaM
men/warriors (nara)E
elephants (nāga)C
chariot banner (dhvaja)C
chariot pole/yoke (kūbara)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tangible aftermath of battle—bodies and broken war-gear—prompting reflection on the moral gravity of warfare: even when undertaken as duty, violence produces irreversible loss and demands accountability in intention and conduct.
Sañjaya is describing a battlefield scene where warriors and elephants have been struck down, and a chariot’s insignia and structural pole have fallen—signs of defeat, destruction, and the turning of fortune amid combat.