Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पेतुरार्तस्वरं घोरं कृत्वा तत्र महागजा: । अर्जुनके द्वारा बहुत-से पैदलोंके यूथपति मिट्टीमें मिलते दिखायी दे रहे थे। नाराचों और बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुए सहस्रों महान्‌ गज घोर आर्तनाद करके पृथ्वीपर गिर रहे थे || १० इ ।। आनद्धाभरणै: कार्यनिहतानां महात्मनाम्‌

Transliteration

petur ārta-svaraṃ ghoraṃ kṛtvā tatra mahā-gajāḥ |

Translation

అక్కడ వేలాది మహా ఏనుగులు నారాచాలు, బాణాల వేదనతో భయంకరమైన ఆర్తనాదం చేసి నేలపై కూలిపోతుండెను।

Word by Word

पेतुःfell

आर्तस्वरम्a cry of distress

घोरम्terrible

कृत्वाhaving made/uttering

तत्रthere

महागजाःgreat elephants

आनद्धाभरणैःwith fastened ornaments/armour

कार्यम्duty/task

निहतानाम्of the slain

महात्मनाम्of the great-souled (men)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

mahāgajāḥ (war-elephants)

battlefield (Kurukṣetra, implied by context)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grievous suffering produced by war: even the mightiest fall while crying in pain. Ethically, it functions as a stark reminder that martial glory is inseparable from widespread anguish, urging reflection on the human (and animal) cost behind kṣatriya duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield where great war-elephants, wounded and overwhelmed, utter terrifying cries of distress and collapse to the earth amid the ongoing combat.