Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तेनाभिपतिता दावं शैलेन महता भृशम्‌ | शृद्रेण निहतास्तत्र प्राणिन: खाण्डवालया:,वहाँ गिरे हुए उस महान्‌ पर्वतशिखरके द्वारा खाण्डववनमें निवास करनेवाले बहुतसे प्राणी मारे गये

Transliteration

tenābhipatitā dāvaṃ śailena mahatā bhṛśam | śūdreṇa nihatās tatra prāṇinaḥ khāṇḍavālayāḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Struck down with great force by that massive mountain-peak as it crashed into the forest-fire, many living beings dwelling in the Khāṇḍava forest were killed there. The episode underscores how overwhelming acts of power and violence, even when directed at a larger aim, can bring indiscriminate suffering upon innocent creatures.

Word by Word

तेनby that (by him/it)

अभिपतिताःhaving fallen upon / having rushed down

दावम्forest-fire / conflagration

शैलेनby a mountain (rock)

महतāgreat

भृशम्exceedingly / greatly

शृद्रेणby Śṛdra (proper name) / by the Śṛdra (agent)

निहताःwere slain / killed

तत्रthere

प्राणिनःliving beings / creatures

खाण्डवालयाःdwelling in the Khāṇḍava (forest)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Khāṇḍava forest

forest-fire (dāva)

mountain/rocky peak (śaila)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical reality that large-scale violent actions can cause indiscriminate suffering, especially to vulnerable beings who are not direct participants in the conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

A huge mountain-peak crashes down with great force into the forest-fire, and many creatures living in the Khāṇḍava forest are killed as a result.