Shloka 36

Devanagari script

गन्धहस्तिमदस्त्रावमात्राय बहवो रणे । संनिपाते बलौघानां वीतमाददिरे गजा:,समस्त सेनाओंमें भीषण मार-काट मची हुई थी और बहुत-से हाथी गन्धयुक्त गजराजके मदकी गन्ध सूँघकर उसीके भ्रमसे निर्बल हाथीको भी मार गिरानेके लिये पकड़ लेते थे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | gandhahastimadāstrāvamātrāya bahavo raṇe | sannipāte balaughānāṃ vītam ādadire gajāḥ ||

Translation

సంజయుడు పలికెను—సేనల ఘోర సంగమంలో, యుద్ధంలో అనేక ఏనుగులు సుగంధ గజరాజు మదగంధం స్వల్పంగా తగిలినంత మాత్రాన ఉన్మత్తులయ్యేవి. ఆ భ్రమలోనే ఇతర ఏనుగులను పట్టుకుని, బలహీన ఏనుగులనూ పడగొట్టేందుకు దూకేవి.

Word by Word

गन्धहस्ति-मद-स्त्राव-मात्रायfor (the one) having only the oozing of rut of a fragrant elephant (i.e., for a mere scent of rut)

बहवःmany

रणेin battle

संनिपातेin the clash/encounter

बल-ओघानाम्of masses of forces/armies

वीतम्the scent/trail (taken as) ‘wafted/borne’ (i.e., the odor-trace)

आददिरेthey seized/took up

गजाःelephants

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

ग

गजाः (elephants)

र

रण (battlefield)

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 how the chaos of war overwhelms discrimination: even a mere trace of scent can trigger frenzy, leading to mistaken aggression and harm to the weak. Ethically, it underscores war’s tendency to expand violence beyond rightful targets and the need for restraint and clarity (dharma) even amid conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield melee where many elephants, excited by the smell of rut from a powerful fragrant war-elephant, mistakenly seize other elephants as if they were that one and bring them down—so intense is the slaughter and confusion among the massed armies.