Shloka 12

Devanagari script

निहत्य सर्वपञज्चालान्‌ युद्धे कृत्वा पराक्रमम्‌

Transliteration

nihatya sarvapañcālān yuddhe kṛtvā parākramam

Translation

Sañjaya said: Having slain all the Pañcālas in battle, after displaying great valor, (he/they proceeded further in the course of the war). The line underscores the grim momentum of warfare, where prowess is narrated alongside the heavy moral cost of mass killing.

Word by Word

• निहत्य: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु: हन्)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भाव (active sense)

• सर्वपाञ्चालान्: all the Pāñcālas
• सर्वपाञ्चालान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पाञ्चाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कृत्वा: having done / having performed
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भाव (active sense)

• पराक्रमम्: valor, prowess
• पराक्रमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pañcālas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse juxtaposes celebrated martial valor (parākrama) with the stark fact of slaughter, inviting reflection on how epic war-narratives praise heroism while also exposing the ethical burden and tragic consequences of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Pañcāla forces have been killed in the fighting, and that this outcome followed an intense display of battlefield prowess—marking a decisive, grim turn in the ongoing conflict.