Shloka 1318

Devanagari script

सेनयोरुभयोश्रापि गाड़ेये निहते विभौ

Transliteration

senayor ubhayoś cāpi gāḍheye nihate vibhau

Translation

Sañjaya said: When the mighty Gāḍheya had been slain, both armies too were thrown into turmoil—shaken in their ranks and resolve by the fall of a powerful warrior, as often happens when strength is used for destruction rather than restraint.

Word by Word

• सेनयोः: of the two armies
• सेनयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• उभयोः: of both
• उभयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Masculine/Feminine/Neuter, Genitive, Dual

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

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• गाढे: in the dense/thick (press)
• गाढे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गाढ
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• ये: who/which (those who)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• निहते: when (he was) slain / upon being slain
• निहते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• विभौ: in/when the mighty one (was slain)
• विभौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Gāḍheya
• the two armies (Pāṇḍava and Kaurava forces)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring ethical and psychological truth of war: the fall of a single powerful fighter can destabilize entire forces. It implicitly points to the grave ripple-effects of violence—how individual acts of killing reshape collective morale and conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warrior called Gāḍheya has been killed, and that this event affects both armies—suggesting confusion, agitation, or a shift in momentum on the battlefield.