Shloka 7

अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च

Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents

Devanagari script

ते हन्यमाना: समरे नाजहु: पाण्डवं रणे । हन्यमाना महाराज शलभा इव पावकम्‌

Transliteration

te hanyamānāḥ samare nājahuḥ pāṇḍavaṃ raṇe | hanyamānā mahārāja śalabhā iva pāvakam ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Bagaman sila’y pinupuksa sa labanan, hindi nila iniwan sa digmaan ang anak ni Pāṇḍu (Arjuna). O Hari, kahit sa sandaling sila’y pinapatay, patuloy pa rin silang sumasalakay sa kanya na parang mga gamu-gamo na, kahit nagliliyab na, ay sumusuong pa rin sa apoy.

Word by Word

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

• हन्यमानाः: being struck/killed
• हन्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हन्यमान (present passive participle)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Passive, Present

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• अजहुः: they abandoned/left
• Type: Verb
• Root: हā (जहाति) / त्यज्-अर्थे √हा
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha/Periphrastic-perfect usage in epic style), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पाण्डवम्: the Pandava (Arjuna)
• पाण्डवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• रणे: in the fight
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• हन्यमानाः: though being struck/killed
• हन्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हन्यमान (present passive participle)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Passive, Present

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun (vocative address)
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शलभाः: moths/locusts
• शलभाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शलभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• पावकम्: fire
• पावकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Arjuna (Pāṇḍava)
• battlefield (raṇa/samara)
• fire (pāvaka)
• moths (śalabhāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, intense resolve and rage can drive fighters to persist even when it is clearly self-destructive—like moths drawn to flame. It implicitly warns that courage without discernment can become ruinous.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warriors facing Arjuna did not retreat from him even as they were being killed; instead, they continued to press the attack, compared to moths repeatedly rushing into fire.