Shloka 36

Śākadvīpa–Pramāṇa–Varṇana

Measurements and Description of Śākadvīpa

Devanagari script

असम्बद्धा महाराज तान्‌ निगृह्नन्ति ते गजा: । पुष्करै: पद्मसंकाशैविंकसद्धिमहाप्र भै:

Transliteration

asambaddhā mahārāja tān nigṛhṇanti te gajāḥ | puṣkaraiḥ padma-saṅkāśair vikaśad-dhima-hāprabhaiḥ ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະເວົ້າວ່າ: ຂໍພຣະອົງມະຫາຣາຊ, ຊ້າງເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນຈັບກົດແລະບີບຂະຍີ້ພວກເຂົາໂດຍບໍ່ມີການຢັ້ງຢືນ; ມັນຟາດຟັນດ້ວຍງວງທີ່ຄ້າຍດອກບົວ—ກາງອອກເຕັມທີ່, ສະຫວ່າງໄສ, ແລະສ່ອງປະກາຍດ້ວຍສະຫງ່າລາສີອັນໃຫຍ່—ທ່າມກາງຄວາມອື້ອອຶງແຫ່ງສົງຄາມ.

Word by Word

असम्बद्धाःunconnected, scattered (not in formation)

महाराजO great king

तान्them

निगृह्णन्तिseize, restrain, overpower

तेthose

गजाःelephants

पुष्करैःwith (their) trunks

पद्मसंकाशैःlotus-like (in appearance)

विकसद्भिःopening, blossoming

महाप्रभैःvery splendid, greatly radiant

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

elephants (gajāḥ)

trunks (puṣkara)

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 moral and practical truth that war, once set in motion, tends to become indiscriminate and uncontrollable; power (here, elephants) can overwhelm human intention, reminding rulers of the grave responsibility involved in choosing conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra how elephants on the battlefield are overpowering combatants, using their lotus-like, fully spread trunks to seize and crush, intensifying the chaos of the fight.