Mahabharata 11.21.5 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 5

अध्याय २१ — गान्धार्या वैकर्तनदर्शनम्

Gāndhārī’s Viewing of Vaikartana/Karṇa

Devanagari script

शार्टूलमिव सिंहेन समरे सव्यसाचिना । मातड़मिव मत्तेन मातड्रेन निपातितम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | śārṭūlam iva siṃhena samare savyasācinā | mātaṅgam iva mattena mātaṅgreṇa nipātitam ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Sa labanan, ibinagsak ni Savyasācin Arjuna ang bayaning iyon na parang leon na nagpapabagsak ng tigre, o parang elepanteng nagngangalit sa panahon ng musth na nagpapabuwal sa isa pang makapangyarihang elepante. Ipinakikita ng larawang ito ang kakila-kilabot na pagkakapantay ng digmaan: ang dakilang mandirigma ay humaharap sa dakilang mandirigma, at ang giting ang nagiging sukatan ng kamatayan sa larangan.

Word by Word

• शार्दूलम्: a tiger
• शार्दूलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• सिंहेन: by a lion
• सिंहेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• सव्यसाचिना: by Savyasācin (Arjuna, ambidextrous archer)
• सव्यसाचिना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्यसाचिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मातङ्गम्: an elephant
• मातङ्गम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• मत्तेन: by an intoxicated (one)
• मत्तेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मातङ्गेन: by an elephant
• मातङ्गेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• निपातितम्: felled/struck down
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Arjuna (Savyasācin)
• lion (siṃha)
• tiger (śārṭūla)
• elephant (mātaṅga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grim ethic of kṣatriya warfare: equals confront equals, and martial excellence becomes both glory and ruin. The similes intensify the sense that in war even the mightiest fall, foreshadowing the sorrow that defines the Strī Parva.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a warrior being slain by Arjuna in battle, using two parallel comparisons—lion vs. tiger and rutting elephant vs. elephant—to convey the force and inevitability of the kill among great combatants.