Shloka 34

दन्तिनां युध्यमानानां संघर्षात्‌ पावको5भवत्‌ | दन्तेषु भरतश्रेष्ठ सधूम: सर्वतोदिशम्‌,भरतश्रेष्ठ! सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें परस्पर जूझते हुए दन्तार हाथियोंके दाँतोंके आपसमें टकरानेसे उनमें धूमसहित अग्नि प्रकट हो जाती थी

sañjaya uvāca | dantināṁ yudhyamānānāṁ saṁgharṣāt pāvako 'bhavat | danteṣu bharataśreṣṭha sadhūmaḥ sarvato diśam ||

ഓ ഭാരതശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! പരസ്പരം പൊരുതുന്ന ദന്തികളായ ആനകളുടെ കൊമ്പുകൾ കൂട്ടിയിടിച്ച ഘർഷണത്തിൽ തീ പിറന്നു; പുകചേർന്ന ജ്വാലകൾ എല്ലാദിക്കുകളിലും പടർന്നതുപോലെ തോന്നി.

दन्तिनाम्of the tusked ones (elephants)
दन्तिनाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootदन्तिन्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
युध्यमानानाम्of those fighting
युध्यमानानाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeVerb
Rootयुध्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural, Present active participle (शतृ)
संघर्षात्from the collision/friction
संघर्षात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootसंघर्ष
FormMasculine, Ablative, Singular
पावकःfire
पावकः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपावक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अभवत्arose/was produced
अभवत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormImperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
दन्तेषुin/on the tusks/teeth
दन्तेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootदन्त
FormMasculine, Locative, Plural
भरतश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas
भरतश्रेष्ठ:
TypeNoun
Rootभरत-श्रेष्ठ
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
सधूमःwith smoke, smoky
सधूमः:
TypeAdjective
Rootस-धूम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सर्वतःon all sides
सर्वतः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसर्वतः
दिशम्direction (as extent: in every direction)
दिशम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootदिश्
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
D
Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the vocative bharataśreṣṭha)
E
elephants (dantin)
T
tusks (danta)
F
fire (pāvaka)
S
smoke (dhūma)
D
directions/quarters (diś)

Educational Q&A

The verse offers a stark ethical reflection through imagery: in war, aggression and collision escalate so intensely that even natural contact (tusk against tusk) becomes a source of fire and smoke—symbolizing how violence multiplies suffering and spreads fear in all directions.

Sañjaya describes the Kurukṣetra battlefield scene where fighting elephants clash; the friction of their tusks is poetically said to produce smoke and fire, emphasizing the ferocity and chaos of the combat.