Mahabharata 9.3.12 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 12

अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

कुण्जरै: स्यन्दना भग्ना: सादिनश्न महारथै:

Transliteration

kuñjaraiḥ syandanā bhagnāḥ sādināś ca mahārathaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya disse: “Naquele choque feroz, os elefantes despedaçaram as carruagens, e os grandes guerreiros de carruagem abateram os cavaleiros—imagem da força esmagadora da guerra, em que tanto o orgulho quanto a destreza são reduzidos por uma violência avassaladora.”

Word by Word

• कुञ्जरैः: by elephants
• कुञ्जरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुञ्जर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• स्यन्दनाः: chariots
• स्यन्दनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्यन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भग्नाः: broken, shattered
• भग्नाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भङ्ग (√भञ्ज्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सादिनः: riders (mounted warriors)
• सादिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महारथैः: by great chariot-warriors
• महारथैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• elephants
• chariots
• mounted horsemen (cavalry)
• mahārathas (great warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the destructive momentum of war: even the highest martial status (mahāratha) and prized war-machines (chariots) are vulnerable. It implicitly cautions against attachment to power and highlights the grave cost inherent in kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports battlefield scenes: elephants are breaking chariots, while elite warriors are felling mounted riders. The line compresses the chaos of combat into two vivid actions—crushing and cutting down.