Shloka 39

अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन

Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault

Devanagari script

नराश्नैव नरै: सार्धथ दन्तिनो दन्तिभिस्तथा

Transliteration

narāśnaiva naraiḥ sārdhaṃ dantino dantibhis tathā

Translation

サञ्जヤは言った。人は人に踏み砕かれ、象もまた象に踏み砕かれた—戦場の押し合いへし合いの中で、各々が同等の相手に遭い、殺戮は相互の滅びへと変わっていった。

Word by Word

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वैः: with horses
• अश्वैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• नरैः: with men
• नरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सार्धम्: together/along with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम्

• दन्तिनः: tusked ones (elephants)
• दन्तिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दन्तिभिः: with tusked ones (elephants)
• दन्तिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तथा: so/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• men/warriors
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim reciprocity of war: force meets force, and violence rebounds upon those who wield it. Ethically, it highlights the tragic cost of kṣatriya conflict—where even equals destroy equals—inviting reflection on restraint and the human (and animal) toll of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield in the Śalya Parva: the fighting has become so intense that warriors are being struck down by other warriors, and elephants are colliding with and killing other elephants—an image of chaotic, mutual slaughter.