Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तत्‌ प्रापतच्चाउ्जलिकेन छित्न- मथास्य कायो निपपात पश्चात्‌ तदुद्यतादित्यसमानतेजसं शरन्नभोमध्यगभास्करोपमम्‌

Transliteration

tat prāpatac cāñjalikena chinnaṃ athāsya kāyo nipapāta paścāt | tad udyatāditya-samāna-tejasaṃ śarannabho-madhya-ga-bhāskara-upamam ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Cái đầu ấy, bị chém lìa bởi Añjalika, rơi xuống; rồi sau đó thân thể ông cũng đổ gục. Dáng hình từng ngẩng cao, rực sáng như mặt trời mọc—như mặt trời mùa thu đứng giữa trời—đã bị quật ngã trong khoảnh khắc, cho thấy rằng ngay cả vinh quang rực rỡ nhất của chiến binh nơi chiến địa cũng phải khuất phục trước luật chết chóc nhanh chóng và vô tư.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (it)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• प्रापतत्: fell down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• अञ्जलिकेन: with the joined palms (añjali)
• अञ्जलिकेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अञ्जलि
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• छिन्नम्: cut off
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद्
• Form: kta (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

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

• अस्य: of him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• कायः: body
• कायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निपपात: fell down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात्

• तत्: that (it)
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• उद्यत: raised, uplifted
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्यत
• Form: kta (PPP) / adjectival, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आदित्य: sun
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (in compound sense), Singular

• समान: equal to, like
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समान
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तेजसम्: splendor, brilliance
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शरन्: arrow
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (in compound sense), Singular

• नभः: sky
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (in compound sense), Singular

• मध्यग: being in the middle (of)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यग
• Form: ga (from √गम्, adjectival), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भास्कर: sun
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (in compound sense), Singular

• उपमम्: comparable to, like
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sun (Āditya/Bhāskara)
• Autumn sky (śarad-nabhas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores impermanence: even a warrior shining with sun-like brilliance can be felled in a moment. It frames battlefield glory as transient and ultimately subordinate to death’s inevitability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a decisive strike: the opponent’s head is cut off and falls, and then the body collapses. The fallen figure is compared to the autumn sun high in the sky, emphasizing the contrast between radiant stature and sudden downfall.