Shloka 17

धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्

Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa

Devanagari script

गजैश्न बहुधा छिन्नै: शयानै: पर्वतोपमै:

Transliteration

gajaiś ca bahudhā chinnaiḥ śayānaiḥ parvatopamaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Banyak gajah, tertebas dengan berbagai cara, tergeletak berserakan di tanah laksana gunung-gunung; seakan-akan pegunungan runtuh menutupi medan.

Word by Word

• गजैः: by/with elephants
• गजैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

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

• बहुधा: in many ways; repeatedly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुधा

• छिन्नैः: by/with (those) cut down; severed
• छिन्नैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिन्न
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शयानैः: by/with (those) lying (on the ground)
• शयानैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शयान
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• पर्वतोपमैः: by/with (those) comparable to mountains
• पर्वतोपमैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्वत-उपम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral gravity of war: even the strongest creatures fall, reminding the listener of impermanence and the immense suffering produced by violence, which should temper pride and triumphalism.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield’s devastation, describing severed and fallen elephants lying about like mountains, emphasizing the scale and brutality of the fighting.