Shanti Parva Adhyaya 158 Shloka 15 - Mahabharata | Kannada | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 15

नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct

Nṛśaṃsa

Devanagari script

निहताश्नैव भग्नाक्ष पाण्डवेन यशस्विना । चरता बलमास्थाय पाकशासनिना मृथधे

Transliteration

nihatāś caiva bhagnāś ca pāṇḍavena yaśasvinā | caratā balam āsthāya pākaśāsaninā yudhi ||

Translation

ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಕಶಾಸನಿಯಾದ ಇಂದ್ರನಂತೆ ಯಶಸ್ವಿ ಪಾಂಡವ ಅರ್ಜುನನು, ತನ್ನ ಬಲದ ಆಶ್ರಯದಿಂದ ರಣಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಚರಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಸೇನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸಂಹರಿಸಿ ಚೂರುಮೂರು ಮಾಡಿ ಓಡಿಸಿದನು.

Word by Word

निहतान्slain

अश्नैवas if by a thunderbolt / instantly (lit. 'like a bolt')

भग्नान्broken, routed

चand

पाण्डवेनby the Pandava (Arjuna)

यशस्विनाby the glorious/famed (one)

चरताwhile moving/roaming (in battle)

बलम्strength, force

आस्थायhaving relied on / having taken support of

पाकशासनिनाby (him who is) the chastiser of Pāka (Indra)

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Arjuna

Pandu

Indra (Pakaśāsani)

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 kṣatriya valor aligned with duty: decisive action, steadiness, and strategic mobility in battle, framed through a dharmic ideal of protecting order—symbolized by comparing Arjuna’s effectiveness to Indra’s.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes Arjuna’s battlefield performance: moving across the field, relying on his strength, he kills many and breaks the opposing forces, causing them to scatter—his prowess likened to Indra (Pākaśāsani).