Shloka 22

Devanagari script

गजारोहवरैश्लापि तत्र तत्र पदातय: । पातिता: समदृश्यन्त तैश्वापि गजयोधिन:,उस रणक्षेत्रमें जहाँ-तहाँ श्रेष्ठ गजारोहियोंद्वारा गिराये हुए पैदल और पैदलोंद्वारा गिराये हुए हाथीसवार दृष्टिगोचर हो रहे थे

Transliteration

gajārohavaraiś cāpi tatra tatra padātayaḥ | pātitāḥ samadṛśyanta taiś cāpi gajayodhinaḥ ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ ഇവിടെ അവിടെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ഗജാരോഹർ വീഴ്ത്തിയ പാദാതികൾ കാണപ്പെട്ടു; അതുപോലെ ആ പാദാതികൾ തന്നെ വീഴ്ത്തിയ ഗജയോദ്ധാക്കളും ദൃശ്യമായി.

Word by Word

गजारोहवरैःby the best elephant-riders

अपिalso/even

तत्रthere

तत्रthere (here and there)

पदातयःfoot-soldiers

पातिताःfelled/caused to fall

समदृश्यन्तwere seen/appeared

तैःby them (by those foot-soldiers)

अपिalso

गजयोधिनःelephant-warriors/elephant-fighters (elephant-riders)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

raṇakṣetra (battlefield)

gajārohāḥ (elephant-riders)

padātayaḥ (infantry)

gajayodhinaḥ (elephant-warriors)

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 impartial, reciprocal nature of warfare: superiority in one moment does not guarantee safety in the next. It implicitly cautions against pride in martial advantage and highlights the shared vulnerability of all combatants.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield strewn with casualties: infantrymen brought down by elite elephant-riders, and elephant-warriors in turn brought down by infantry. The report emphasizes the intensity and mutual devastation of the fighting.