Shloka 7

Śalya-parva Adhyāya 34: Balarāma’s Withdrawal, Sarasvatī Pilgrimage Logistics, and Prabhāsa as Soma’s Renewal Tīrtha

Devanagari script

ततस्तदा गदाहस्तौ दुर्योधनवृकोदरौ

Transliteration

tatastadā gadāhastau duryodhanavṛkodarau

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, at that moment, Duryodhana and Vṛkodara—both gripping their maces—stood poised for the decisive clash, embodying the war’s grim culmination where personal prowess and resolve are tested amid the larger moral ruin of fratricidal conflict.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पञ्चमी-अर्थे: 'from/thereafter')

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक: 'at that time')

• गदाहस्तौ: having a mace in hand; mace-in-hand
• गदाहस्तौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदाहस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• दुर्योधनवृकोदरौ: Duryodhana and Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• दुर्योधनवृकोदरौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन + वृकोदर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• gadā (mace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the climactic testing of kṣatriya valor and resolve, while implicitly reminding that even heroic skill unfolds within the tragic ethical landscape of a fratricidal war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Duryodhana and Bhīma (Vṛkodara) are both holding maces, indicating their readiness for the decisive mace-duel central to this section of the Śalya Parva.