Shloka 73

Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

तस्य तं॑ निनदं श्रुत्वा दृष्टवा नागांश्व युध्यत:

Transliteration

tasya taṁ ninadaṁ śrutvā dṛṣṭvā nāgāṁś ca yudhyataḥ

Translation

三阇耶说：闻彼雷霆般的轰鸣，又见群象相搏纠缠，战场遂以更盛之势翻涌推进——不祥之兆，示战争之力愈加高涨，而诸勇士之志不屈。

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• तम्: that (him/it)
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• निनदम्: roar/sound
• निनदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निनद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for absolutive)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for absolutive)

• नागान्: elephants
• नागान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• युध्यत: he fought/was fighting
• युध्यत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• war-elephants (nāgāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how sensory signs—especially the terrifying roar and the sight of elephants battling—intensify the moral and emotional pressure of war, revealing the momentum of conflict and the hardening of resolve that can carry warriors beyond hesitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a great roar is heard and elephants are seen fighting; it is a vivid battlefield snapshot indicating that the engagement has become fierce and fully underway.