Shloka 6

भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः

The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat

Devanagari script

स शल्यं पञ्चविंशत्या कृपं च नवशभि: शरै: । अश्वत्थामानमष्टाभिविंव्याध पुरुषर्षभ:,उस पुरुषरत्न अभिमन्युने शल्यको पचीस, कृपाचार्यको नौ और अश्वत्थामाको आठ बाणोंसे बींध डाला

Transliteration

sa śalyaṃ pañcaviṃśatyā kṛpaṃ ca navaśabhiḥ śaraiḥ | aśvatthāmānam aṣṭābhir vivyādha puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Ang dakilang mandirigma na si Abhimanyu, na parang toro sa mga tao, ay tumuhog kay Śalya ng dalawampu’t limang palaso, kay Kṛpa ng siyam, at kay Aśvatthāmā ng walo.

Word by Word

• सः: he (that one)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शल्यं: Shalya
• शल्यं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पञ्चविंशत्या: with twenty-five
• पञ्चविंशत्या: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: पञ्चविंशति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• कृपं: Kripa
• कृपं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• नवभिः: with nine
• नवभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: नव
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

• अश्वत्थामानम्: Ashvatthaman
• अश्वत्थामानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थामन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अष्टाभिः: with eight
• अष्टाभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: अष्टन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• विव्याध: pierced
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पुरुषर्षभः: bull among men (best of men)
• पुरुषर्षभः: Karta
• Type: Noun (epithet)
• Root: पुरुषर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śalya
• Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
• Aśvatthāman
• Abhimanyu
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores disciplined prowess in battle while implicitly reminding that even justified warfare (kṣatriya-dharma) carries ethical weight: skill and courage operate within a tragic field of harm and consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports Abhimanyu’s effective counterattack: he strikes three prominent Kaurava warriors—Śalya, Kṛpa, and Aśvatthāman—with a specified number of arrows, showing his dominance in that moment of the fight.