Shloka 20

Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः

Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter

Devanagari script

अथ ड्िपं श्वेतवरा भ्रसंनि भं दिवाकरांशुप्रतिमै: शरोत्तमै: । बिभेद पार्थ: स पपात नादयन्‌ हिमाद्रिकूटं कुलिशाहतं यथा

Transliteration

atha dvi-paṁ śvetavaraṁ bhrasaṁnibhaṁ divākarāṁśu-pratimaiḥ śarottamaiḥ | bibheda pārthaḥ sa papāta nādayan himādri-kūṭaṁ kuliśāhataṁ yathā ||

Translation

سنجے نے کہا—پھر پارتھ (ارجن) نے اس نہایت سفید، روشن بادل جیسے ہاتھی کو سورج کی کرنوں کے مانند دہکتے ہوئے بہترین تیروں سے چھید ڈالا۔ زخمی ہو کر وہ گرجتا ہوا یوں زمین بوس ہوا جیسے اندر کے وجر سے ضرب کھا کر ہمالیہ کی چوٹی ٹوٹ کر گر پڑے۔

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• द्विपम्: elephant
• द्विपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्वेतवर्णम्: white-colored
• श्वेतवर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेतवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भ्रसम्: violently, forcefully
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भ्रसम्

• निभम्: resembling
• निभम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निभ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दिवाकरांशु-प्रतिमैः: with (arrows) comparable to the sun’s rays
• दिवाकरांशु-प्रतिमैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिवाकरांशुप्रतिम
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शर-उत्तमैः: with excellent arrows
• शर-उत्तमैः: Karana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शरोत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बिभेद: pierced, split
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• पार्थः: Arjuna (son of Pṛthā)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he (that one, i.e., the elephant)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पपात: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• नादयन्: making a loud sound/roaring
• Type: Verb
• Root: नद्
• Form: Present active participle (Śatṛ), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हिमाद्रि-कूटम्: a peak of the Himalaya
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमाद्रिकूट
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कुलिश-आहतम्: struck by a thunderbolt
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुलिशाहत
• Form: Past passive participle (Kta), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• white elephant (dvipa)
• Sun (Divākara)
• Himālaya (Himādri)
• Indra’s thunderbolt (Kuliśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the overwhelming momentum of battle: skill and force can bring immediate ruin, and epic poetry frames this human act through cosmic imagery (sun-rays, Indra’s thunderbolt, the Himālaya), reminding the listener that war’s violence is vast in consequence and awe-inspiring in scale.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Arjuna striking a great white elephant with brilliant, powerful arrows. The elephant, pierced through, collapses with a tremendous roar, compared to a Himalayan peak felled by Indra’s thunderbolt.