Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तद्‌ दृष्ट्वा राक्षसेन्द्रस्य घोरं कर्म भयावहम्‌

Transliteration

tad dṛṣṭvā rākṣasendrasya ghoraṃ karma bhayāvaham

Translation

Sañjaya berkata—melihat perbuatan mengerikan dan menakutkan dari raja para rākṣasa itu.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (deed/act)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here), Non-finite

• राक्षसेन्द्रस्य: of the lord of the Rakshasas
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षसेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• घोरम्: terrible
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कर्म: deed, act
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भयावहम्: bringing fear, fearsome
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयावह
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• rākṣasendra (lord/king of the Rākṣasas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how horrific actions in war generate fear and moral unease; even when narrated neutrally, the language marks such deeds as ghora (dreadful) and bhayāvaha (fear-producing), implicitly warning that violence escalates suffering and destabilizes dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the reaction to a terrifying act performed by a powerful Rākṣasa leader on the battlefield, emphasizing its dreadful and fearsome impact on those who witnessed it.