Shloka 42

अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः

Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve

Devanagari script

क्षणेनाहन्‌ स बलवान ये<स्य दृष्टिपथे स्थिता: । तेषां शरीरावयवै: शरीरैश्व विशाम्पते

Transliteration

kṣaṇenāhan sa balavān ye 'sya dṛṣṭi-pathe sthitāḥ | teṣāṃ śarīrāvayavaiḥ śarīraiś ca viśāmpate ||

Translation

ข้าแต่องค์จอมมนุษย์ ในชั่วพริบตา ผู้ทรงกำลังนั้นสังหารทุกผู้ที่อยู่ในแนวสายตา จนร่างและอวัยวะที่ขาดสะบั้นกระจัดกระจายเกลื่อนกลาด

Word by Word

• क्षणेन: in a moment; with (the lapse of) a moment
• क्षणेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अहन्: killed; slew
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बलवान्: mighty; powerful
• बलवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ये: who; those who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अस्य: of him; his
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• दृष्टि-पथे: in (his) line of sight; within view
• दृष्टि-पथे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टि-पथ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• स्थिताः: standing; stationed
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था
• Form: Past passive participle (kta), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तेषाम्: of them
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• शरीर-अवयवैः: with (their) body-parts; with limbs
• शरीर-अवयवैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर-अवयव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शरीरैः: with bodies
• शरीरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• विशाम्-पते: O lord of the people (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• viśāmpati (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• the mighty warrior (unnamed in this verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral collapse that can occur in war: sheer power, when driven by vengeance and unchecked aggression, turns into indiscriminate killing. It implicitly contrasts brute force with dharmic restraint and accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior rapidly killing everyone who appears within his sight, leaving bodies and severed limbs scattered—an image typical of the Sauptika Parva’s depiction of sudden, ruthless slaughter.