Shloka 61

शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement

Devanagari script

ते दहयमाना: पार्थेन पावकेनेव कुञ्जरा: । पार्थ न प्रजहुर्घोरा वध्यमाना: शितै: शरै:

Transliteration

te dahyamānāḥ pārthena pāvakeneva kuñjarāḥ | pārtha na prajahur ghorā vadhyamānāḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “แม้ถูกเผาผลาญด้วยศรคมของปารถะ ดุจช้างที่ติดอยู่ในไฟป่า และแม้ถูกสังหารลง เหล่านักรบเการพผู้ดุดันก็ยังไม่ละทิ้งอรชุน ไม่ยอมถอยห่าง”

Word by Word

• ते: they (those)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दह्यमानाः: being burnt
• दह्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह्
• Form: शानच् (present passive participle), Passive, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पार्थेन: by Partha (Arjuna)
• पार्थेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• पावकेन: by fire
• पावकेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• कुञ्जराः: elephants
• कुञ्जराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुञ्जर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पार्थ: O Partha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• प्रजहुः: they abandoned/left
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हाः
• Form: Liṭ (Perfect), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• घोराः: terrible/fierce
• घोराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वध्यमानाः: being slain/struck down
• वध्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध्
• Form: शानच् (present passive participle), Passive, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शितैः: with sharp
• शितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शित
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Kaurava warriors
• arrows (śara)
• fire (pāvaka)
• elephants (kuñjara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield steadfastness: warriors may cling to duty, allegiance, and martial resolve even when overwhelmed. Ethically, it shows how commitment can be admirable as courage, yet also tragic when it becomes obstinate persistence in a destructive cause.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kaurava fighters being seared by Arjuna’s arrows, compared to elephants burning in a forest conflagration. Despite heavy losses and pain, they do not withdraw from Arjuna; they continue pressing the fight.