Shloka 33

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

Devanagari script

ते वध्यमाना बलिना भीमसेनेन दन्तिन:

Transliteration

te vadhyamānā balinā bhīmasenena dantinaḥ

Translation

三阇耶说道：那些战象被大力的毗摩塞那击倒，正被一一诛杀——这是战场上压倒性的力量之象：纯粹的蛮力，竟使最骄傲的战兽也沦为命运的牺牲品。

Word by Word

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

• वध्यमानाः: being slain / being killed
• वध्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Present passive participle (शानच्), passive sense

• बलिना: by the mighty (one)
• बलिना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• भीमसेनेन: by Bhimasena
• भीमसेनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दन्तिनः: the tusked ones (elephants)
• दन्तिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• elephants (war elephants)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the brutal reality of war: power and martial skill can overturn even formidable forces like war elephants, reminding the listener that battlefield glory is inseparable from destruction and the workings of destiny within kṣatriya conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, acting with great strength in the battle, is cutting down the enemy’s elephants; the line highlights the scale of his force and the collapse of a major arm of the opposing army.