Shloka 44

भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः

Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead

Devanagari script

न्यमज्जंस्ते महाराज तस्य काये महात्मन:

Transliteration

nyamajjan te mahārāja tasya kāye mahātmanaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, they sank into the body of that great-souled warrior.”

Word by Word

• न्यमज्जन्: they sank / they plunged
• Type: Verb
• Root: मज्ज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तस्य: of him / of that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• काये: in (his) body
• काये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled (one)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address mahārāja)
• mahātmā (unnamed great warrior, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark reality of war: even a “great-souled” person is subject to bodily harm. It implicitly contrasts inner nobility (mahātman) with the external violence of the battlefield, reminding the listener that ethical judgment in war must account for suffering and consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that missiles—typically arrows in this context—have struck and become lodged in the body of a great warrior, indicating an intense exchange in the battle.