Shloka 144

Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout

Devanagari script

दुर्गमां पदवीं गत्वा विरराज जनक्षये

Transliteration

durgamāṁ padavīṁ gatvā virarāja janakṣaye

Translation

険しく踏み越えがたい道に至ると、彼は人々の滅びのただ中でひときわ目立った。戦の荒廃の中、命が砕かれてゆくそのさなかに、彼の姿は際立っていた。

Word by Word

• दुर्गमाम्: difficult (to traverse)
• दुर्गमाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्गमा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पदवीम्: path, course, track
• पदवीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदवी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• विरराज: shone forth, was splendid
• विरराज: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: राज्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जनक्षये: in the destruction of people; in the massacre
• जनक्षये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनक्षय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the grim paradox of war: even when someone displays brilliance or prowess, it occurs within “janakṣaya,” the ruin of human life. It invites ethical reflection on how glory and success can be inseparable from collective suffering in adharma-leaning violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a figure moving through a perilous course and then standing out conspicuously amid widespread killing. The emphasis is on the harsh terrain or difficult undertaking and the prominence achieved in the midst of battlefield devastation.