Mahabharata 9.19.586 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 19, Shloka 586

Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)

Devanagari script

यत्र यातान्न वा हन्यु: पाण्डवा: कि सृतेन व: । “अरे! इस तरह भागनेसे क्या लाभ है? मैं पृथ्वीमें या पर्वतोंपर ऐसा कोई स्थान नहीं देखता, जहाँ जानेपर तुम्हें पाण्डव मार न सकें

Transliteration

yatra yātān na vā hanyuḥ pāṇḍavāḥ kiṃ sṛtena vaḥ |

Translation

សញ្ជ័យបាននិយាយ៖ «អើយ! ការរត់គេចយ៉ាងនេះមានប្រយោជន៍អ្វី? តើអ្នកនឹងទៅទីណាដែលពណ្ឌវមិនអាចវាយសម្លាប់អ្នកបាន? ខ្ញុំមិនឃើញកន្លែងណាមួយលើផែនដី—ឬសូម្បីតែក្នុងភ្នំ—ដែលពេលអ្នកទៅដល់ហើយ អ្នកអាចគេចផុតពីការត្រូវពណ្ឌវសម្លាប់បានឡើយ»។

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र
• Form: Adverb (relative); locative sense 'where'

• यातान्: gone / having gone
• यातान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: या (धातु) → यात (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Masculine, accusative, plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: Negation particle

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा
• Form: Disjunctive particle

• हन्युः: might kill / would kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), parasmaipada, 3rd person, plural

• पाण्डवाः: the Pandavas
• पाण्डवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

• किम्: what? / why?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, nominative/accusative, singular (used adverbially)

• सृतेन: by fleeing / by escape
• सृतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृ (धातु) → सृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, instrumental, singular

• वः: of you / for you
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive (enclitic), plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• earth (pṛthivī)
• mountains (parvata)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the futility of cowardly escape in the face of inevitable consequences: when danger is inescapable, one should abandon panic and meet one’s duty with steadiness rather than seek illusory refuge.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a moment of crisis on the battlefield: someone is attempting to flee, and the speaker rebukes that impulse, asserting that nowhere—on earth or in the mountains—offers safety from the Pāṇḍavas’ pursuit and power.