Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तदायस्तमनुष्याश्वमुदीर्णवरवारणम्‌ । पुत्राणां ते महासैन्यं समरौत्सीद्‌ धनंजयम्‌

Transliteration

tadāyastamanuṣyāśvam udīrṇavaravāraṇam | putrāṇāṁ te mahāsainyaṁ samarautsīd dhanaṁjayam ||

Translation

تب آدمی اور گھوڑے تھک چکے تھے اور بہترین ہاتھی بےقابو ہو اٹھے تھے؛ اے راجن، تمہارے بیٹوں کی وہ عظیم فوج میدانِ جنگ میں دھننجے (ارجن) پر ٹوٹ پڑی۔

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा
• Form: indeclinable (temporal adverb)

• आयस्तम्: made of iron / iron-clad
• आयस्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयस्त
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• मनुष्याश्वम्: a man-horse (horse with a rider; cavalryman)
• मनुष्याश्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्याश्व
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• उदीर्णवरवारणम्: with excellent elephants roused/charging
• उदीर्णवरवारणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदीर्णवरवारण
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• पुत्राणाम्: of the sons
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• ते: of you/your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• महा-सैन्यम्: the great army
• महा-सैन्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + सैन्य
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• उत्सीत्: attacked / assailed
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्सि (उद् + सि)
• Form: aorist (luṅ), parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular

• धनंजयम्: Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• धनंजयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (proper name)
• Root: धनंजय
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'te')
• Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• Kaurava army (sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• horses
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the relentless momentum of war: even an exhausted force can surge forward through massed effort. Ethically, it points to how collective determination, when yoked to adharma-driven rivalry, intensifies suffering rather than restoring order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava host—despite fatigue among men and horses and turmoil among their best elephants—nevertheless pressed in and attacked Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) in the thick of battle.