Shloka 53

गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः

Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शल्यपर्वके अन्तर्गत गदापव॑नमें बलदेवजीकी तीर्थयात्रा और सारस्वतोपाख्यानके प्रसंगमें कुरुक्षेत्रकी महिमाका वर्णनविषयक तिरपनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārata-śalya-parvaṇi antargata-gadāparvaṇiṃ baladevasya tīrthayātrā-sārasvatopākhyāna-prasaṅge kuru-kṣetrasya mahimā-varṇana-viṣayakaḥ tripañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ

Translation

یوں شری مہابھارت کے شلیہ پَرو کے ضمن میں گداپَرو میں، بلدیو جی کی تیرتھ یاترا اور سارَسوتوپاکھیان کے پس منظر میں کوروکشیتر کی مہیمہ کے بیان پر مشتمل تریپنواں ادھیائے مکمل ہوا۔

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• प्रकारम्: manner/way
• प्रकारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकार
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्री: auspiciousness; honorific 'Śrī'
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• महाभारतम्: the Mahābhārata
• महाभारतम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शल्यपर्वके: in the Śalya-parvan (section)
• शल्यपर्वके: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शल्यपर्वक
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अन्तर्गत: included/contained
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तर्गत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• गदापर्वणि: in the Gadā-parvan (club-episode section)
• गदापर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदापर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• बलदेवजीकी: of Baladeva
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलदेव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तीर्थयात्रा: pilgrimage
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थयात्रा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सारस्वतोपाख्यानके: of the Sārasvata-upākhyāna (subsidiary tale)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस्वतोपाख्यान
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• प्रसङ्गे: in the context/occasion
• प्रसङ्गे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कुरुक्षेत्रकी: of Kurukṣetra
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• महिमाका: of the greatness/glory
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमा
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वर्णनविषयक: having as its subject the description
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्णनविषयक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्रिपञ्चाशत्तमः: fifty-third
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिपञ्चाशत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पूर्णः: completed/finished
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभवत्: was/became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Mahābhārata
• Śalya Parva
• Gadāparvan (Gadā-parvan)
• Baladeva (Balarāma)
• Sārasvata
• Kurukṣetra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid a war narrative, the text foregrounds dharma through tīrtha-māhātmya: remembrance of sacred places and exemplary episodes (like Sārasvata) reinforces ethical orientation, purification, and continuity of tradition.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is a concluding colophon: it announces that the chapter has finished, specifying its setting (Śalya Parva, within the gadā-related section) and its subject matter—Baladeva’s pilgrimage, the Sārasvata episode, and the praise of Kurukṣetra.