Shloka 30

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

तमुद्वीक्ष्य गदाहस्तं ततस्ते गजसादिन:

Transliteration

tam udvīkṣya gadāhastaṃ tatas te gajasādinaḥ

Translation

桑阇耶说道：见他立于彼处，手执铁杵，那些武士——如同屠象之人——便将目光尽数投向他，整备身心，迎接战场上下一轮惨烈的交锋。

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उद्वीक्ष्य: having looked at / seeing
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-√ईक्ष्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• गदाहस्तम्: with a mace in (his) hand; mace-handed
• गदाहस्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदाहस्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: then / thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

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

• गजसादिनः: elephant-riders / those mounted on elephants
• गजसादिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजसादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• gadā (mace)
• gajasādinaḥ (elephant-slayers/warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of alertness and readiness: warriors respond to a visible sign of threat (a mace-bearing opponent) with coordinated attention and preparation, underscoring how perception drives action in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that, upon noticing a combatant holding a mace, the opposing fighters—described as capable of felling elephants—react and prepare to engage, signaling an imminent clash.