Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 84

Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)

Devanagari script

त॑ परे नाभ्यवर्तन्त मर्त्या मृत्युमिवागतम्‌

Transliteration

taṁ pare nābhyavartanta martyā mṛtyum ivāgatam

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Những chiến binh đối phương không dám áp sát ông, như thể Tử Thần đích thân hiện đến trước mặt họ. Khoảnh khắc ấy cho thấy trong cơn cuồng nộ của chiến trận, một dũng sĩ ghê gớm có thể hóa thân thành hệ quả không thể tránh, làm lung lay ý chí cả những người từng trải.

Word by Word

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

• परे: others, the remaining (ones)
• परे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अभ्यवर्तन्त: turned back/withdrew; did not advance (towards)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मर्त्याः: mortals, men
• मर्त्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• आगतम्: come/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Death (Mṛtyu, personified)
• the opposing warriors (pare, martyāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral-psychological reality of war: when violence reaches its peak, a warrior’s overwhelming force can appear as inevitable fate itself, reminding mortals of the limits of courage before death.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes a battlefield moment where the enemy soldiers refuse to advance toward a particular fighter, recoiling as if Death has personally arrived.