Mahabharata 3.232.96 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 232, Shloka 96

Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve

Gandharva Encounter

Devanagari script

सा मुक्ता भ्यहरत्‌ तस्य महिषस्य शिरो महत्‌ | पपात भिन्ने शिरसि महिषस्त्यक्तजीवित:

Transliteration

sā muktābhyaharat tasya mahiṣasya śiro mahat | papāta bhinne śirasi mahiṣas tyaktajīvitaḥ ||

Translation

Solta da mão do rapaz, aquela força divina abateu a grande cabeça do demônio-búfalo. Decepado, Mahīṣa, já sem vida, tombou sobre a terra.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मुक्ता: released, let go
• मुक्ता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (क्त)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यहरत्: struck down / carried off (here: cut down)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (अभि-आ-√हृ)
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तस्य: of that (one), his
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• महिषस्य: of the buffalo(-demon)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महत्: great, huge
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पपात: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भिन्ने: when split, being severed
• भिन्ने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शिरसि: in/when the head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• महिषः: the buffalo(-demon)
• महिषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्यक्तजीवितः: having abandoned life, lifeless
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त-जीवित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya (speaker)
• Mahīṣa / Mahīṣāsura (buffalo-demon)
• the divine power/weapon (śakti)
• the boy (kumāraka, implied by the Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Adharma sustained by brute force and pride is ultimately cut down when confronted by righteous power aligned with cosmic order; the verse underscores the inevitability of moral consequence and the protective function of divinely backed strength.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes the decisive moment of the battle: a released divine force/weapon strikes and severs the buffalo-demon’s head, and the demon, now lifeless, collapses to the ground.