Shloka 85

Devanagari script

स शालस्कन्धशबलं त्रस्तवानरवारणम्‌ | प्रोड्डीनोदभ्रान्तविहगं विनिष्पतितपन्नगम्‌

Transliteration

sa śālaskandhaśabalaṃ trastavānaravāraṇam | proḍḍīnodabhrāntavihagaṃ viniṣpatitapannagam

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: It was mottled like the trunk of a śāla tree—so fearsome that it terrified monkeys and elephants alike; it sent birds whirling up in confusion and drove serpents to dart out in panic. The description underscores how the violence of the battlefield disturbs not only warriors but the entire natural world, making the cost of war visible in the suffering and disarray of innocent creatures.

Word by Word

सःhe

शालस्कन्धशबलम्mottled with (i.e., having) a śāla-tree trunk/branch

त्रस्तवानरवारणम्the elephant that frightened the monkeys

प्रोड्डीनम्flown up; risen into the air

उद्भ्रान्तविहगम्the bird (that was) whirling about in confusion

विनिष्पतितपन्नगम्the serpent that sprang/fell out (suddenly)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

śāla tree (śāla-skandha)

monkeys (vānara)

elephants (vāraṇa)

birds (vihaga)

serpents (pannaga)

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 collateral harm of warfare: the turmoil of battle spreads beyond human combatants and disrupts the natural world. Ethically, it invites reflection on the wider consequences of violence and the suffering imposed on beings without agency in the conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a fearsome presence or object in the battlefield—mottled like a śāla trunk—whose impact is so intense that monkeys and elephants are terrified, birds take flight in confusion, and serpents rush out in panic, conveying the chaos and dread pervading the scene.