Mahabharata 7.97.3 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 97, Shloka 3

शैनेयचरितम्

The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement

Devanagari script

तद्‌ युद्धमभवत्‌ तीव्र तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम्‌ । कुरूणां पाण्डवानां च व्यूहस्य पुरतो5द्भधुतम्‌

Transliteration

tad yuddham abhavat tīvraṃ tumulaṃ lomaharṣaṇam | kurūṇāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ ca vyūhasya purato 'dbhūtam ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Então aquela luta tornou-se intensa, tumultuosa e arrepiadora. Diante da formação de batalha, o combate extraordinário entre os Kurus e os Pāṇḍavas foi tão terrível e assombroso que fez os espectadores ficarem com os cabelos em pé.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• अभवत्: was/became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, singular

• तीव्रम्: intense
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• तुमुलम्: tumultuous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुमुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• लोमहर्षणम्: hair-raising, causing horripilation
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोमहर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• कुरूणाम्: of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• पाण्डवानाम्: of the Pandavas
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• व्यूहस्य: of the battle-array/formation
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• पुरतः: in front, at the fore
• पुरतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, extraordinary
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kurūḥ (Kurus/Kauravas)
• Pāṇḍavāḥ (Pandavas)
• vyūha (battle formation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the paradox of dharma-yuddha: even when war is undertaken as a perceived duty, its lived reality is terrifying and morally heavy, evoking awe and dread rather than triumph.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that an extraordinarily intense and chaotic clash erupts between the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava forces at the forefront of the battle formation, so fearsome that it shocks observers.