Shloka 80
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
Devanagari script
कचाकचि युद्धमासीद् दन््तादन्ति नखानखि
Transliteration
sañjaya uvāca | kacākaci yuddham āsīd dantādanti nakhānakhi |
Translation
संजय बोले—युद्ध घनघोर गुत्थमगुत्था हो उठा; ऐसी निकटता आ गई कि दाँत-से-दाँत और नाखून-से-नाखून भिड़ने लगे।
Word by Word
कचाकचिclash/close combat (a pell-mell fight)
कचाकचि:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकचाकचि
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
युद्धम्battle
युद्धम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootयुद्ध
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
आसीत्was
आसीत्:
TypeVerb
Rootअस्
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular
दन्तात्from/with the tooth (tooth-to-tooth)
दन्तात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootदन्त
FormMasculine, Ablative, Singular
दन्तिin/at the tooth (i.e., tooth-to-tooth)
दन्ति:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootदन्ति
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
नखानखिnail-to-nail; with nails locked
नखानखि:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनखानखि
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaCharacter 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 underscores how war can collapse into brutal intimacy—when order and distance vanish, conflict becomes raw bodily violence. It implicitly cautions that the momentum of battle can degrade human dignity and restraint, highlighting the ethical cost of warfare.
Sañjaya reports that the engagement has intensified into a chaotic, close-quarters melee, with fighters grappling at such proximity that it is described as tooth-against-tooth and nail-against-nail.