Shloka 78

Devanagari script

ततः प्रहस्य समरे भैमसेनिर्महाबल:

Transliteration

tataḥ prahasya samare bhaimasenir mahābalaḥ

Translation

ततः प्रहस्य समरे भैमसेनिर्महाबलः ॥

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततस्
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from that/thereupon')

• प्रहस्य: having laughed
• प्रहस्य: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हस् (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त), indeclinable: 'having laughed'

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, locative singular

• भैमसेनिः: Bhīmasena's son (Bhīmaseni = Ghaṭotkaca)
• भैमसेनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैमसेनि
• Form: Masculine, nominative singular

• महाबलः: mighty, of great strength
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, nominative singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhaimaseni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the inner stance of a warrior: fearlessness and resolve can manifest outwardly as laughter or scorn in the face of danger. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such composure signals steadfastness in one’s chosen duty (kṣatriya-dharma), though it also hints at the hardening of the heart that prolonged war can bring.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a moment on the battlefield where Bhīmasena, described as immensely strong, laughs in the thick of combat—an image that typically precedes a forceful attack or a decisive turn, emphasizing his confidence and aggressive momentum.