Shloka 17

Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

तस्यावर्जितनागस्य म्लेच्छस्याध: पतिष्यत: । शिरश्रिच्छेद भल्लेन क्षिप्रकारी वृकोदर:,वह म्लेच्छजातीय अंग हाथीसे अलग नहीं हुआ था। उस हाथीके साथ-साथ वह नीचे गिरना ही चाहता था कि शीघ्रकारी भीमसेनने एक भल्लके द्वारा उसका सिर काट दिया

Transliteration

tasyāvarjita-nāgasya mlecchasyādhaḥ patiṣyataḥ | śiraś ciccheda bhallena kṣiprakārī vṛkodaraḥ ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ເມື່ອນັກຮົບມະເລັດຊະນັ້ນ—ຍັງບໍ່ທັນຫຼຸດອອກຈາກຊ້າງຂອງຕົນ—ກຳລັງຈະຕົກລົງຕໍ່າ ວຶກໂກດະຣະ (ພີມະ) ຜູ້ລົງມືວ່ອງໄວ ໄດ້ຕັດຫົວຂອງເຂົາດ້ວຍລູກສອນພັນລະ. ພາບນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນຄວາມຮຸນແຮງອັນທັນທີຂອງຄວາມຍຸດຕິທຳໃນສົງຄາມ ເມື່ອຕ້ອງໃຊ້ກຳລັງທີ່ຕັດສິນໃຈເພື່ອກຳຈັດພະຍັນຕະລາຍໂດຍບໍ່ຊັກຊ້າ.

Word by Word

तस्यof him/that (one)

अवर्जित-नागस्यof the elephant not separated (from it)

म्लेच्छस्यof the Mleccha (foreigner/barbarian)

अधःdownwards/below

पतिष्यतःwas about to fall / would fall

शिरःhead

अच्छेदत्cut off

भल्लेनwith a bhalla-arrow

क्षिप्रकारीswift-acting

वृकोदरःVṛkodara (Bhīma)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Mleccha warrior

elephant (nāga)

bhalla (arrow/weapon)

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?

In the war setting, the verse highlights kṣatriya pragmatism: when a dangerous opponent is vulnerable yet still a threat, swift and decisive action is taken to end the danger. It reflects the harsh ethical landscape of battle, where delay can cost lives.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Mleccha fighter, still clinging to or positioned with his elephant, is falling. At that moment Bhīma (Vṛkodara), acting quickly, strikes with a bhalla and cuts off the man’s head.