Shloka 393

Devanagari script

हत्वा त्वदीयं सुमहत्‌ सैन्यं शड्खांस्तथाधमन्‌ | माननीय नरेश! चेकितान, शिखण्डी और द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र आपकी विशाल सेनाका विनाश करके शंख बजाने लगे

Transliteration

hatvā tvadīyaṃ sumahat sainyaṃ śaṅkhāṃs tathā adhaman | mānanīya nareśa! cekitānaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca draupadyāḥ pañca putrāś ca tava viśāla-senā-vināśaṃ kṛtvā śaṅkhān anādayan |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Having slain a very great portion of your army, they blew their conches. O venerable king, Cekitāna, Śikhaṇḍī, and Draupadī’s five sons—after bringing ruin upon your vast host—began to sound their conches in triumph.”

Word by Word

• हत्वा: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भाव (क्रियाविशेषण)

• त्वदीयम्: your
• त्वदीयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वदीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सैन्यम्: army
• सैन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शङ्खान्: conches
• शङ्खान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तथा: then/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• अधमन्: they blew (sounded)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धम् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• माननीय: venerable
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माननीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नरेश: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• चेकितानः: Chekitana
• चेकितानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेकितान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शिखण्डी: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्रौपदेयाः: Draupadi’s sons
• द्रौपदेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौपदेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पञ्च: five
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पञ्च

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तव: of you/your
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• विशालाम्: vast
• विशालाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सेनाम्: army
• सेनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• विनाश्य: having destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नश् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (absolutive), क्रियाविशेषण

• शङ्खान्: conches
• शङ्खान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अधमन्: they blew
• Type: Verb
• Root: धम् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address 'nareśa')
• Cekitāna
• Śikhaṇḍī
• Draupadī
• Draupadī’s five sons (Upapāṇḍavas)
• Conch (śaṅkha)
• Kaurava army (implied by 'your army')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma: martial success is publicly signaled as rightful prowess, yet it is inseparable from massive loss. Triumph (conch-blowing) and tragedy (slaughter of a vast host) coexist, reminding the listener that victory in war carries grave human cost and karmic consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that Pāṇḍava-side warriors—Cekitāna, Śikhaṇḍī, and Draupadī’s five sons—have inflicted heavy destruction on the king’s forces and then sounded their conches as a battlefield proclamation of success and momentum.