Shloka 416

Devanagari script

गदया राक्षसो घोरो निजघान ननाद च । भयानक शब्द करनेवाली उस विशाल गदाको आती देख भयंकर राक्षस अलायुधने अपनी गदासे उसपर आघात किया और बड़े जोरसे गर्जना की

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | gadayā rākṣaso ghoro nijaghāna nanāda ca |

Translation

Sanjaya said: The dreadful rākṣasa struck with his mace and roared aloud. Seeing the huge mace rushing in with a terrifying sound, the fearsome rākṣasa—Alāyudha—met it with a blow of his own mace and thundered mightily, embodying the brutal momentum of war where strength and fury eclipse restraint.

Word by Word

• गदया: with a mace
• गदया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• राक्षसः: the demon
• राक्षसः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• घोरः: terrible, fierce
• घोरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निजघान: struck, smote
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ननाद: roared
• Type: Verb
• Root: नद्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Alāyudha
• rākṣasa
• gadā (mace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the war-ethos of the battlefield: raw force, intimidation, and immediate retaliation dominate. Ethically, it underscores how conflict amplifies fear and aggression, reminding readers that unchecked wrath and violence can overwhelm discernment and dharmic restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a mace-fight moment: the fearsome rākṣasa Alāyudha sees a massive, terrifyingly sounding mace coming toward him, strikes back with his own mace, and roars loudly, intensifying the battle’s dread and ferocity.