Shloka 231
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
Devanagari script
सो5तिविद्धो महेष्वासस्तोत्रार्दित इव द्विप:
Transliteration
so 'tividdho maheṣvāsas totrārdita iva dvipaḥ
Translation
सञ्जय उवाच—स महेष्वासोऽतिविद्धः शरैः सर्वाङ्गं विदारितः, तोत्रार्दित इव द्विपः कम्पमानो व्यथितोऽभवत्।
Word by Word
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अतिविद्धःpierced through; severely wounded
अतिविद्धः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअतिविद्ध (वि√व्यध् + अति, क्त)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
महेष्वासःgreat archer
महेष्वासः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमहेष्वास
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तोत्रार्दितःgoad-struck; tormented by a goad
तोत्रार्दितः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootतोत्रार्दित (तोत्र + √अर्द्/अर्दय्, क्त)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इवas if; like
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
द्विपःan elephant
द्विपः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootद्विप
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
स
संजय (Sañjaya)द
द्विप (elephant)त
तोत्र (elephant-goad)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 the vulnerability of even the most powerful warriors: martial prowess does not exempt one from pain and collapse when struck. Ethically, it points to the harsh truth of war—strength is tested and often broken by inflicted suffering.
Sañjaya describes a great archer who has been grievously wounded. To convey his distress and loss of steadiness, he compares him to an elephant driven and tormented by an elephant-goad.