Shloka 46

उत्पातदर्शनम् — Portents and Kāla among the Vṛṣṇis

Devanagari script

तन्निघ्नन्तं महातेजा बभ्रु: परपुरञ्जय:

Transliteration

tan nighnantaṃ mahātejā babhruḥ parapurañjayaḥ

Translation

Disse Vaiśampāyana: Enquanto ele abatia o adversário, via-se Babhru—de grande esplendor e poder, conquistador das fortalezas inimigas—agir assim. O verso ressalta o sombrio ímpeto da violência: até um herói louvado por força e vitória é mostrado no próprio ato de matar, prenunciando o colapso moral e a autodestruição que marcam a narrativa do Mausala.

Word by Word

तत्him/that (person)

निघ्नन्तम्striking, slaying

महातेजाःthe great-splendored (one)

बभ्रुःBabhru (proper name)

परपुरञ्जयःconqueror of enemy cities

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Babhru

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?

Heroic epithets and martial glory do not sanctify violence; the Mausala Parva frames such acts as part of an inexorable moral and social unraveling, where power becomes an instrument of ruin rather than protection.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes Babhru, a formidable Yādava warrior, in the act of striking down someone during the internecine slaughter, highlighting the intensity of the fighting and the tragic self-destruction of the clan.