Shloka 9

कुन्त्याः वनगमननिश्चयः — Kuntī’s Resolve to Depart for the Forest

Devanagari script

गजैश्वाचलसंकाशैर्भीमकर्मा वृकोदर: । सज्जयमन्त्रायुधोपेतै: प्रययौँ पवनात्मज:,भयंकर पराक्रम करनेवाले पवनपुत्र भीमसेन पर्वताकार गजराजोंकी सेनाके साथ जा रहे थे। उन गजराजोंकी पीठपर अनेकानेक यन्त्र और आयुध सुसज्जित किये गये थे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

gajaiś cācalasaṅkāśair bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ |

sajjayantrāyudhopetaiḥ prayayau pavanātmajaḥ ||

Translation

భయంకర పరాక్రమశాలియైన పవనపుత్రుడు వృకోదరుడు (భీమసేనుడు) పర్వతసమానమైన గజాలతో బయలుదేరాడు; ఆ గజాలపై యంత్రాలు, ఆయుధాలు సుసज्जితంగా ఉన్నాయి.

Word by Word

गजैःby/with elephants

चand

अचल-संकाशैःwith (those) resembling mountains

भीम-कर्माof terrible deeds

वृकोदरःVṛkodara (Bhīma)

सज्जयन्त्र-आयुध-उपेतैःwith (elephants) furnished with prepared machines and weapons

प्रययौwent forth / proceeded

पवन-आत्मजःson of the Wind (Bhīma)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Pavana (Wind-god)

Elephants (gaja)

Yantra (mechanical contrivances/devices)

Āyudha (weapons)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even within a narrative framed by withdrawal to the forest and the waning of royal life, the verse highlights disciplined preparedness and organized strength. It implicitly contrasts worldly power—symbolized by armed, engineered war-elephants—with the larger movement of the epic toward restraint and renunciation, reminding readers that might and equipment are secondary to the ethical direction (dharma) in which one proceeds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Bhīma (Vṛkodara), son of the Wind-god, setting out with a formidable elephant force. The elephants are depicted as mountain-like and outfitted with devices and weapons, emphasizing the scale and readiness of the entourage accompanying him.