Shloka 26

शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12

Devanagari script

क्षीणवद्‌ विद्धलत्वात्‌ तु निमेषात्‌ पुनरुत्थित:

Transliteration

kṣīṇavad viddhalatvāt tu nimeṣāt punarutthitaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Though he appeared utterly spent—his body seeming slack and pierced—he rose again in the very next instant. The scene underscores the battlefield’s harsh uncertainty, where apparent collapse can be followed by sudden resolve and renewed action.

Word by Word

• क्षीणवत्: like one exhausted
• क्षीणवत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षीणवत् (प्रातिपदिक; क्षीण + वत्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विद्धलत्वात्: from/owing to faintness (being stunned)
• विद्धलत्वात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्धलत्व (प्रातिपदिक; विद्धल + त्व)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

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

• निमेषात्: in/after a moment (lit. from a blink)
• निमेषात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• उत्थितः: rose up / stood up
• उत्थितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-स्था (धातु) / उत्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when a warrior seems broken by wounds and fatigue, inner resolve can reassert itself instantly; the verse highlights resilience and the unpredictability of outcomes in conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a combatant who looked exhausted and wounded nevertheless rose again almost immediately, indicating a sudden recovery or renewed determination amid battle.