Shloka 213

Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation

Devanagari script

अपराजितस्य सुनसं तव पुत्रस्य संयुगे । उन शत्रुसूदन वीरने बायें हाथसे धनुषको अच्छी तरह दबाकर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे समरभूमिमें आपके पुत्र अपराजितका सुन्दर नासिकासे युक्त मस्तक काट डाला

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | aparājitasya sunāsaṃ tava putrasya saṃyuge | śatrusūdano vīraḥ vāme hastena dhanuḥ suṣṭhu niṣpīḍya namragranthinā bāṇena samara-bhūmau tava putrasya aparājitasya sunāsaṃ mastakaṃ ciccheda |

Translation

Sanjaya said: In the thick of battle, the heroic slayer of foes pressed his bow firmly with his left hand and, with a barbed arrow, severed the handsome, well-nosed head of your son Aparājita on the field of war. The scene underscores the ruthless finality of kṣatriya combat, where valor and skill are displayed even as life is cut down in an instant.

Word by Word

• अपराजितस्य: of the unconquered (Aparājita)
• अपराजितस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपराजित
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सुनासम्: having a beautiful nose (handsome-nosed)
• सुनासम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-नास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• पुत्रस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Aparājita
• tava putra (Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son, i.e., a Kaurava prince)
• śatrusūdana (epithet of the warrior who strikes)
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• arrow (bāṇa)
• battlefield (samara-bhūmi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of righteous warfare as conceived in the epic: a kṣatriya’s duty involves decisive action and martial excellence, yet the outcome remains grim—life is fragile, and victory is purchased through irreversible loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, during the battle, a warrior described as 'Śatrusūdana' grips the bow firmly and with a barbed arrow cuts off the head of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son Aparājita on the battlefield.