Shloka 653

Devanagari script

तावकानां परेषां च व्यतिषक्तरथद्विपम । तदनन्तर आपके और पाण्डवोंके सैनिकोंमें अत्यन्त भयंकर रोमांचकारी युद्ध होने लगा। रथसे रथ और हाथीसे हाथी गुँथ गये

Transliteration

tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca vyatiṣaktarathadvipam |

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Então, entre os teus guerreiros e os do lado adversário, irrompeu uma batalha feroz, terrível e de arrepiar. Carros travaram-se contra carros, e elefantes lutaram com elefantes, enquanto os dois exércitos se entrelaçavam de perto no combate corpo a corpo.

Word by Word

तावकानाम्of yours (your side’s)

परेषाम्of the others (the enemy’s)

चand

व्यतिषक्तintermingled, entangled

रथchariot

द्विपम्elephant

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kaurava army (tāvakāḥ)

Pāṇḍava army (pare)

chariots (ratha)

elephants (dvipa)

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 grim reality of war: once armies intermix at close quarters, violence escalates beyond control. Ethically, it highlights the heavy consequences of conflict and the urgency of discernment (dharma) before hostilities reach an irreversible, entangling momentum.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava forces have collided in intense close combat, with chariots and elephants physically locking together as the battle becomes chaotic and terrifying.