Shloka 23

Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ

Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement

Devanagari script

स्रवद्धिः शोणितं गात्रै: प्रखुताविव वारणौ

Transliteration

sravaddhiḥ śoṇitaṃ gātraiḥ prakhutāv iva vāraṇau

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Darah mengalir dari anggota-anggota tubuh mereka; mereka tampak seperti dua gajah yang baru saja terluka, menumpahkan darah.

Word by Word

• स्रवद्भिः: with (their) flowing
• स्रवद्भिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्रवत् (√स्रु)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• शोणितम्: blood
• शोणितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोणित
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• गात्रैः: with (their) limbs/bodies
• गात्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• प्रखुतौ: pierced/wounded
• प्रखुतौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रखुत (√खुद्/√खुद्-सम्भवः; past passive participle sense)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like/as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• वारणौ: two elephants
• वारणौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• two elephants (simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse offers a stark ethical reminder: martial glory is inseparable from bodily suffering and loss. By comparing warriors to bleeding elephants, it highlights the tragic, physical reality beneath heroic rhetoric, prompting reflection on the moral weight of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes combatants (implied from context) whose bodies are bleeding profusely. Their condition is likened to two elephants freshly wounded, emphasizing the intensity and brutality of the ongoing battle.