Shloka 34

Devanagari script

येन ब्रह्मास्त्रविदुषा पज्चाला: सत्यजिन्मुखा: । कुर्वाणा मज्जये यत्नं समूला विनिपातिता:,ब्रह्मासत्रको जाननेवाले जिन आचार्यदेवने मेरी विजयके लिये प्रयत्न करनेवाले सत्यजित्‌ आदि पांचालवीरोंको समूल नष्ट कर दिया

Transliteration

yena brahmāstraviduṣā pāñcālāḥ satyajinmukhāḥ | kurvāṇā majjaye yatnaṃ samūlā vinipātitāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: By him—the knower of the Brahmāstra—the Pāñcāla warriors headed by Satyajit, who were striving to secure my victory, were struck down and destroyed to the very root. The verse underscores how mastery of divine weapons in war can bring total annihilation, raising the ethical weight of such power even when used in service of one’s side.

Word by Word

येनby whom/with which

ब्रह्मास्त्रविदुषाby the knower of the Brahmāstra

पाञ्चालाःthe Pāñcālas

सत्यजित्-मुखाःhaving Satyajit at their head (led by Satyajit)

कुर्वाणाःdoing, making

मज्जयेfor me

यत्नम्effort

समूलाःroot-and-all, utterly

विनिपातिताःwere struck down, felled

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Brahmāstra

Pāñcālas

Satyajit

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the overwhelming, near-absolute destructiveness of divine weapons like the Brahmāstra. Even when deployed for a declared aim—securing victory—it implies a grave ethical burden: such power tends toward total annihilation rather than proportionate combat, pressing the listener to reflect on restraint and responsibility in warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior skilled in the Brahmāstra has killed the Pāñcāla fighters led by Satyajit—men who were actively striving to bring about Sañjaya’s (i.e., the Kaurava side’s) victory—destroying them completely.