Shloka 15

Duryodhana’s Departure toward Dvaītavana; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Caution and Śakuni’s Assurance

Devanagari script

तद्विसृष्टं जघानाशु पार्श्व स्कन्दस्य दक्षिणम्‌ | बिभेद च महाराज पार्श्न तस्य महात्मन:

Transliteration

tadvisṛṣṭaṁ jaghānāśu pārśvaṁ skandasya dakṣiṇam | bibheda ca mahārāja pārśvaṁ tasya mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను—విసిరిన ఆ వజ్రం వెంటనే స్కందుని కుడి పార్శ్వాన్ని తాకి, ఓ మహారాజా, ఆ మహాత్ముని ప్రక్కను చీల్చెను.

Word by Word

तत्that (it)

विसृष्टम्released, discharged

जघानstruck, smote

आशुquickly

पार्श्वम्side, flank

स्कन्दस्यof Skanda

दक्षिणम्right (side)

बिभेदsplit, pierced

चand

महाराजO great king

पार्श्वम्side, flank

तस्यof him

महात्मनःof the great-souled one

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Mahārāja (addressed king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)

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 when the narrative concerns divine or great-souled figures, the epic highlights the real consequences of violent acts; moral greatness (mahātman) does not negate vulnerability, and the listener is invited to reflect on the gravity of force and its results.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a projectile that has been released strikes Skanda’s right side and pierces his flank, marking a decisive moment of impact within a battle scene.