Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गजाश्चममितं हत्वा हता: सप्त महारथा: । हत्वा पजच सहस्राणि रथानां प्रपितामह:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

gajāś ca amitaṁ hatvā hatāḥ sapta mahārathāḥ |

hatvā pañca sahasrāṇi rathānāṁ prapitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

សញ្ជ័យបាននិយាយ៖ បន្ទាប់ពីសម្លាប់ដំរីជាច្រើនមិនអាចរាប់បាន ព្រះបិតាមហាបុរាណ (ភីष្ម) ក៏បានផ្តួលមហារថៈប្រាំពីរនាក់ផងដែរ។ ហើយក្រោយពីបំផ្លាញរថសង្គ្រាមប្រាំពាន់ គាត់នៅតែបន្តការប្រយុទ្ធដ៏គួរឱ្យភ័យខ្លាចលើសមរភូមិ។

Word by Word

गजान्elephants

चand

अमितम्immeasurable (a vast number)

हत्वाhaving slain

हताःwere slain

सप्तseven

महारथाःgreat chariot-warriors

हत्वाhaving slain

पञ्चfive

सहस्राणिthousands

रथानाम्of chariots

प्रपितामहःthe great-grandsire (Bhishma)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Prapitāmaha (Bhīṣma)

war-elephants (gaja)

chariots (ratha)

seven mahārathas

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 the immense destructiveness of war even when performed as duty: extraordinary martial prowess can coexist with grave human (and animal) cost, inviting reflection on dharma in conflict and the ethical weight of battlefield action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s battlefield exploits: he slays countless war-elephants, brings down seven elite chariot-warriors, and destroys five thousand chariots, emphasizing the scale of carnage and Bhīṣma’s dominance in the fighting.