Shloka 5

Devanagari script

नरश्रेष्ठ नरेश्वर! कृपाचार्य आदि आपके रथी वीरोंने अपने उत्तम बाणोंद्वारा प्रहार करते हुए वहाँ पाण्डव-पक्षके उन ग्यारह महारथी वीरोंको आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया। तत्पश्चात्‌ कुलिन्ददेशके योधा नूतन मेघके समान काले, पर्वतशिखरोंके समान विशालकाय और भयंकर वेगशाली हाथियोंद्वारा कौरववीरोंपर चढ़ आये ।।

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | naraśreṣṭha nareśvara! kṛpācārya-ādayaḥ tava rathī vīrāḥ svair uttamaiḥ bāṇaiḥ praharantaḥ tatra pāṇḍava-pakṣasya tān ekādaśa mahārathān vīrān agre gantuṃ nivārayām āsuḥ | tataḥ kulinda-deśasya yodhāḥ nūtana-megha-samānāḥ kālāḥ parvata-śikhara-samānāḥ viśāla-kāyāḥ bhayaṅkara-vega-śālinaḥ hastibhiḥ kaurava-vīreṣu samāruhya abhyapatanta || sukalpitā haimavatā madotkaṭā raṇābhikāmaiḥ kṛtibhiḥ samāsthitāḥ | suvarṇa-jālair avitatā babhur gajāḥ tathā yathā khe jaladāḥ savidyutaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik antara manusia, wahai raja! Kṛpa dan para pahlawan kereta di pihak tuanku, sambil memanah dengan anak panah terbaik, telah menahan sebelas juara agung pihak Pāṇḍava daripada mara. Kemudian para pejuang dari negeri Kulinda menyerbu ke atas wira Kaurava, menunggang gajah—gelap seperti awan yang baru terbentuk, besar seperti puncak gunung, dan meluru dengan kelajuan yang menggerunkan. Gajah-gajah Himalaya itu dihias indah dan mabuk musth; di atas belakangnya duduk para pahlawan Kulinda yang mahir dan dahagakan perang; berselimut jala emas, mereka bersinar di medan seperti awan guruh di langit yang disambar kilat.”

Word by Word

• सुकल्पिताः: well-adorned / well-arranged
• सुकल्पिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुकल्पित (सु-कल्पित)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हैमवताः: from Himavat (Himalayan)
• हैमवताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हैमवत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मदोत्कटाः: fierce with rut/intoxication
• मदोत्कटाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मदोत्कट (मद-उत्कट)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रणाभिकामैः: by those desirous of battle
• रणाभिकामैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रणाभिकाम (रण-अभिकाम)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• कृतिभिः: by skilled/able men
• कृतिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृति
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• समास्थिताः: mounted/positioned (having taken their places)
• समास्थिताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: समास्थित (सम्-आ-स्था)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सुवर्णजालैः: with golden nets
• सुवर्णजालैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्णजाल (सुवर्ण-जाल)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अवितताः: covered/spread over
• अवितताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवितत (अव-तन्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बभुः: they became / appeared
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Perfect, 3, Plural

• गजाः: elephants
• गजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: thus / in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• यथा: as / just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• खे: in the sky
• खे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• जलदाः: clouds
• जलदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सविद्युतः: with lightning
• सविद्युतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सविद्युत् (स-विद्युत्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied addressee: nareśvara)
• Kripacharya
• Kaurava warriors
• Pandava faction
• Eleven Maharathas (Pandava side)
• Kulinda warriors
• Kulinda-desha
• Himavat/Himalaya region
• War elephants
• Golden netting/caparison (suvarṇa-jāla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how disciplined resistance and coordinated force can halt even elite opponents; ethically, it underscores the epic’s tension between valor and the destructive momentum of war, where skill and spectacle (ornamented elephants, heroic ranks) serve a grim purpose.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kripa and other Kaurava chariot-warriors block the advance of eleven Pandava great warriors with concentrated arrow-fire. Immediately after, Kulinda fighters charge the Kauravas atop massive, musth-elephants from the Himalayan region, richly adorned, compared to thunderclouds with lightning.