Shloka 57

Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)

Devanagari script

नातिदूरापयातं तु कृतबुद्धि पलायने

Transliteration

nātidūrāpayātaṃ tu kṛtabuddhi palāyane

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Dia belum pergi jauh, kerana dalam fikirannya sudah pun menetapkan keputusan untuk melarikan diri—niatnya terpaku pada pelarian, bukan pada keteguhan.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अतिदूर: too far
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतिदूर

• अपयातम्: gone away / withdrawn
• अपयातम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-या (धातु: या)
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• तु: but, however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• कृतबुद्धि: one who has resolved / determined
• कृतबुद्धि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतबुद्धि
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• पलायने: in flight / in fleeing
• पलायने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पलायन
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the moral contrast between steadfastness in duty and a mind fixed on escape: once the intention (buddhi) is set toward flight, action quickly follows, revealing inner weakness amid the demands of war and kṣatriya responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied from context) had only retreated a short distance, yet his mind was already made up for fleeing—indicating an incipient rout or loss of resolve on the battlefield.