Shloka 33

Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance

Devanagari script

सादिनश्चाश्वपृछ्ठेभ्य: पादातांक्ष समागतान्‌ | गजारोहान्‌ गजेभ्यश्व॒ परेषां जयकारिण:

Transliteration

sādināś cāśvapṛṣṭhebhyaḥ pādātāṁś ca samāgatān | gajārohān gajebhyaś ca pareṣāṁ jayakāriṇaḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：哦大王，毗湿摩——人中最卓绝者——击倒了许多：将骑兵从马背上掀落，斩倒逼近的步卒，又把那些屡胜敌军的象骑从象背上打下。

Word by Word

• सादिनः: horsemen
• सादिनः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• अश्वपृष्ठेभ्यः: from the backs of horses
• अश्वपृष्ठेभ्यः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वपृष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Plural

• पादातान्: foot-soldiers
• पादातान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पादात
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• समागतान्: come together / arrived
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-गम्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)

• गजारोहान्: elephant-riders
• गजारोहान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजारोह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• गजेभ्यः: from the elephants
• गजेभ्यः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Plural

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

• परेषाम्: of the enemies / of the others
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• जयकारिणः: victory-winning
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जयकारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Rājan (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Bhīṣma
• horsemen (cavalry)
• foot-soldiers (infantry)
• elephant-riders
• horses
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the impartial destructiveness of war: even those who are skilled and previously victorious can be felled. It implicitly invites reflection on the ethical cost of conflict and the grim momentum of kṣatriya warfare once it is unleashed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is cutting down large numbers of enemy troops across divisions—cavalry, infantry, and elephant corps—throwing riders from mounts and breaking the opposing formations.