Shloka 23

Devanagari script

गदाभिरसिभश्रि: प्रासैर्बाणैश्न नतपर्वभि: । जघ्नु: परस्परं तत्र क्षत्रिया: काल आगते,क्षत्रियगण गदा, खड्ग, प्रास तथा झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणोंद्वारा एक-दूसरेको मार रहे थे; क्योंकि उन सबका काल आ गया था

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

gadābhir asibhiḥ śṛṅgaiḥ prāsair bāṇaiś ca nataparvabhiḥ |

jaghnur parasparaṃ tatra kṣatriyāḥ kāla āgate ||

Translation

ສັນຈະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ທີ່ນັ້ນ ນັກຮົບກະສັດຕຣິຍະ ຟັນຟາດກັນແລະກັນ—ດ້ວຍຄ້ອນຮົບ, ດາບ, ອາວຸດມີງ່າ, ຫອກ, ແລະລູກທະນູທີ່ມີຂໍ້ງໍ—ເພາະກາລ (ຄວາມຕາຍ) ທີ່ກຳນົດໄວ້ໄດ້ມາຮອດເຂົາເຈົ້າແລ້ວ.

Word by Word

• गदाभिः: with maces
• गदाभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• असिभिः: with swords
• असिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• ऋषिभिः: with sages
• ऋषिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• प्रासैः: with spears
• प्रासैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रास
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: with arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• नतपर्वभिः: with (arrows) having bent joints/knots
• नतपर्वभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नतपर्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• जघ्नुः: they slew
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Plural

• परस्परम्: one another
• परस्परम्: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• क्षत्रियाः: the Kshatriyas/warriors
• क्षत्रियाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• काले: when the time (of death) had come
• काले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• आगते: having come/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• kṣatriyas
• gadā (mace)
• asi (sword)
• śṛṅga (horned weapon)
• prāsa (spear)
• bāṇa (arrow)
• kāla (Time/Death)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the inevitability of mortality and the overpowering force of kāla (Time/Death): when destiny matures, even the disciplined warrior order (kṣatriya-dharma) culminates in mutual destruction, reminding the listener of impermanence and the grave cost of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where kṣatriya warriors are killing one another with various weapons—maces, swords, spears, and arrows—because their fated end has arrived.