Shloka 4

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

तामापतन्तीं महतीं कलिड्रानां महाचमूम्‌ । रथाश्वनागकलिलां प्रगृहीतमहायुधाम्‌

Transliteration

tām āpatantīṁ mahatīṁ kaliḍrāṇāṁ mahācamūm | rathāśvanāgakalilāṁ pragṛhītamahāyudhām ||

Translation

ಆಗ ಅವನು ಕಲಿಂಗರ ಮಹಾಚಮುವು ಧಾವಿಸಿ ಬರುತ್ತಿರುವುದನ್ನು ಕಂಡನು—ರಥ, ಅಶ್ವ, ಗಜಗಳಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿ ತುಳುಕುತ್ತ, ಮಹಾಯುಧಗಳನ್ನು ಹಿಡಿದಿದ್ದದು.

Word by Word

ताम्that (her/it)

आपतन्तीम्rushing/falling upon, charging

महतīmgreat, huge

कलिड्रानाम्of the Kalidras (a people/tribe)

महाचमूम्the great army

रथाश्वनागकलिलाम्thick/teeming with chariots, horses, and elephants

प्रगृहीतमहायुधाम्having taken up great weapons; armed with mighty weapons

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kaliṅgas

mahācamū (great army/host)

ratha (chariots)

aśva (horses)

nāga (elephants)

mahāyudha (great weapons)

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 underscores the moral gravity of war by emphasizing the scale and preparedness of the forces: when vast, well-armed hosts surge forward, the consequences are collective and irreversible, reminding the listener that choices leading to battle carry immense ethical weight.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a large contingent—identified as the Kaliṅga host—charging into action. The army is portrayed as densely filled with chariots, horses, and elephants, and equipped with heavy weaponry, signaling an imminent clash.