Shloka 34
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
Devanagari script
गदामारुतवेगं हि दृष्टवा तस्य महात्मन:
Transliteration
gadāmārutavegaṁ hi dṛṣṭvā tasya mahātmanaḥ
Translation
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “เมื่อเห็นกระบองของมหาบุรุษผู้นั้นพุ่งไปด้วยความเร็วดุจสายลม ผู้ชมทั้งหลายก็อัศจรรย์ตะลึงงัน”
Word by Word
गदा-मारुत-वेगम्the speed (vega) of the wind (māruta) (as) of a mace (gadā) / mace-like wind-speed
गदा-मारुत-वेगम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootगदा + मारुत + वेग
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
हिindeed, for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
दृष्ट्वाhaving seen
दृष्ट्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootदृश्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
तस्यof him / his
तस्य:
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular
महात्मनःof the great-souled one
महात्मनः:
TypeNoun
Rootमहात्मन्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaG
gadā (mace)M
mahātman (the great-souled warrior, unnamed in this half-verse)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
The line highlights the awe-inspiring force of martial skill, while implicitly reminding the reader that extraordinary power in war is ethically ambivalent: it can display greatness, yet it also accelerates destruction, pressing the listener to reflect on dharma amid violence.
Sañjaya describes a great warrior’s mace in motion—so swift it is likened to the wind—setting the scene for an intense exchange in the Shalya Parva’s late-war battles.