Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तं॑ तु दृष्टवा महाघोरं वर्तमानं महाहवम्‌

Transliteration

taṃ tu dṛṣṭvā mahāghoraṃ vartamānaṃ mahāhavam

Translation

तं तु दृष्ट्वा महाघोरं वर्तमानं महाहवम् । सञ्जयः समपश्यत् तत्र भीषणं रणवर्धनम् ॥

Word by Word

• तम्: him/that (person)
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• महाघोरम्: very terrible
• महाघोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाघोर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वर्तमानम्: going on/occurring
• वर्तमानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्तमान
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाहवम्: great battle
• महाहवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• the great battle (mahāhava)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: even when framed as duty, battle is portrayed as 'mahāghora'—deeply dreadful—inviting reflection on the ethical cost of violence and the responsibility of those who choose or witness it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that the onlooker (contextually, a principal figure observing the field) sees the great battle actively unfolding and recognizes it as intensely terrifying, marking a heightened moment in the Drona Parva war narrative.