Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 66

Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host

Devanagari script

तत्‌ पुनस्तुमुलं युद्ध प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वाभ्यवर्तत

Transliteration

tat punas tumulaṃ yuddhaṃ prāṇāṃs tyaktvābhyavartata

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Sekali lagi pertempuran meledak menjadi hiruk-pikuk yang mengerikan; para kesatria, menanggalkan segala kepedulian bahkan atas nyawa mereka, kembali menerjang ke kancah laga.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (battle/scene)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• तुमुलम्: fierce, tumultuous
• तुमुलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुमुल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्राणान्: lives, vital breaths
• प्राणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned/given up
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• अभ्यवर्तत: returned/turned back (towards)
• अभ्यवर्तत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-आ-वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• the battle (yuddha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war can drive people to abandon even the instinct to preserve life, revealing the ethical cost of conflict: when anger, rivalry, or misconstrued duty dominates, life becomes secondary and suffering multiplies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the fighting, after a brief shift or pause implied by the context, flares up again into a chaotic, roaring clash, with combatants charging back into battle as if their lives no longer matter.