Shloka 30

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

तमुद्वीक्ष्य गदाहस्तं ततस्ते गजसादिन:

Transliteration

tam udvīkṣya gadāhastaṃ tatas te gajasādinaḥ

Translation

سنجے نے کہا—اسے گدا ہاتھ میں لیے دیکھ کر وہ گج سادین (ہاتھی گرانے والے) جنگجو اس کی طرف متوجہ ہوئے اور اگلی جھڑپ کے لیے آمادہ ہو گئے۔

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उद्वीक्ष्य: having looked at / seeing
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-√ईक्ष्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• गदाहस्तम्: with a mace in (his) hand; mace-handed
• गदाहस्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदाहस्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: then / thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

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

• गजसादिनः: elephant-riders / those mounted on elephants
• गजसादिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजसादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• gadā (mace)
• gajasādinaḥ (elephant-slayers/warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of alertness and readiness: warriors respond to a visible sign of threat (a mace-bearing opponent) with coordinated attention and preparation, underscoring how perception drives action in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that, upon noticing a combatant holding a mace, the opposing fighters—described as capable of felling elephants—react and prepare to engage, signaling an imminent clash.