Shloka 68
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
Devanagari script
तमायान्तमभिप्रेक्ष्य कालिज्रो नवभि: शरै:
Transliteration
tam āyāntam abhiprekṣya kālijo navabhiḥ śaraiḥ
Translation
तमायान्तमभिप्रेक्ष्य कालिज्रो नवभिः शरैः ।
Word by Word
तम्him
तम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
आयान्तम्coming, approaching
आयान्तम्:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootया (आ + या)
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)
अभिप्रेक्ष्यhaving looked at, seeing
अभिप्रेक्ष्य:
TypeVerb
Rootप्रेक्ष् (अभि + प्रेक्ष्)
Formल्यप् (absolutive/gerund)
कालिज्रःKālījra (proper name)
कालिज्रः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकालिज्र
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
नवभिःwith nine
नवभिः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootनवन्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural
शरैःwith arrows
शरैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootशर
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
स
संजय (Sañjaya)क
कालिज (Kālija)श
शर (arrows)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
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of alertness and decisive action: seeing an opponent’s movement and responding immediately. In the Mahābhārata’s war narrative, such moments underscore how intention, perception, and swift execution shape outcomes amid adharma-prone violence.
Sañjaya reports that Kālija, noticing an opponent advancing, shoots him with nine arrows. It is a brief combat snapshot within the larger Kurukṣetra battle sequence.