Shloka 40
Devanagari script
तं शिखण्डी समासाद्य त्वया गुप्तो महाव्रतम्
Transliteration
taṁ śikhaṇḍī samāsādya tvayā gupto mahāvratam
Translation
Sañjaya berkata: “Setelah berhadapan dengan Śikhaṇḍī, engkau menyembunyikan ikrar agungmu.”
Word by Word
तम्him
तम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
शिखण्डीShikhandi
शिखण्डी:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootशिखण्डिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
समासाद्यhaving approached / having come up to
समासाद्य:
TypeVerb
Rootसम्-आ-√सद्
Formल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), true
त्वयाby you
त्वया:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootयुष्मद्
Form—, Instrumental, Singular
गुप्तःprotected / guarded
गुप्तः:
TypeAdjective
Root√गुप्
Formक्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular
महाव्रतम्the great vow
महाव्रतम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootमहाव्रत
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
स
संजय (Sañjaya)श
शिखण्डी (Śikhaṇḍī)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
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a vowed commitment (vrata) in war: even amid lethal conflict, a warrior may restrain action to honor a prior moral resolve, keeping that resolve inwardly guarded rather than publicly displayed.
Sañjaya narrates that when the speaker’s side came face to face with Śikhaṇḍī, the addressed warrior maintained a significant vow in a concealed manner—implying deliberate restraint or a principled limitation in how he would engage under those circumstances.