Shloka 22

Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption

Devanagari script

तथा तु वर्तमाने वै संग्रामेडतिभयंकरे

Transliteration

tathā tu vartamāne vai saṅgrāme 'tibhayaṅkare

Translation

Sañjaya said: And so, while that exceedingly dreadful battle was in progress, events continued to unfold amid terror and turmoil—signaling the relentless momentum of war and the grave moral weight borne by those engaged in it.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• वर्तमाने: while (it was) going on; in progress
• वर्तमाने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्तमान
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वै: indeed, surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• संग्रामे: in the battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अतिभयंकरे: in the exceedingly terrifying (one)
• अतिभयंकरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिभयङ्कर
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• battle (saṅgrāma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the overwhelming dread and moral gravity of war: when conflict becomes 'exceedingly terrifying,' human agency operates under pressure, and the ethical consequences of actions in such conditions become especially weighty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya marks a narrative transition, stating that the battle—described as extremely fearsome—was actively underway, setting the scene for the next events in the Drona Parva account.