Shloka 27

Devanagari script

हत्वा बहुविधा: सेना: पाण्डूनां युद्धदुर्मदः । कथंचित्‌ संकटान्मुक्तो मत्तद्विरदविक्रम:,मतवाले हाथीके समान पराक्रमी रणदुर्मद अश्वत्थामा पाण्डवोंकी विविध सेनाओंका संहार करके किसी प्रकार उस युद्ध-संकटसे मुक्त हुआ था

Transliteration

hatvā bahuvidhāḥ senāḥ pāṇḍūnāṃ yuddha-durmadaḥ | kathaṃcit saṅkaṭān mukto matta-dvirada-vikramaḥ ||

Translation

サञ्जयは語った。パーンダヴァ軍のさまざまな部隊を討ち滅ぼし、戦の狂気に酔い、猛り狂う象のごとき武威を備えたアシュヴァッターマンは、どうにかしてその危険な戦局の窮地から脱した。この偈は、戦闘の残酷な勢いと、武勇の輝きとそれがもたらす破滅とのあいだに横たわる道義の緊張を浮かび上がらせる。

Word by Word

हत्वाhaving slain

बहुविधाःmany kinds of

सेनाःarmies

पाण्डूनाम्of the Pāṇḍus/Pāṇḍavas

युद्ध-दुर्मदःfrenzied in battle

कथंचित्somehow

संकटात्from danger/distress

मुक्तःfreed, released

मत्त-द्विरद-विक्रमःwhose prowess is like that of an intoxicated elephant

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Aśvatthāmā

Pāṇḍavas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war amplifies destructive pride and frenzy (yuddha-durmada), and how sheer prowess can enable survival—yet it implicitly raises ethical unease about glory built upon slaughter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā has killed many divisions of the Pāṇḍava forces and, despite the surrounding danger, has managed to extricate himself from the immediate crisis of battle.