Shloka 20

Adhyāya 17 — गजयुद्ध-वृत्तान्तः, सहदेव-दुःशासन-संघर्षः, नकुल-कर्ण-समागमः

Elephant-battle account; Sahadeva–Duhshasana clash; Nakula–Karna encounter

Devanagari script

अथ ड्िपं श्वेतवरा भ्रसंनि भं दिवाकरांशुप्रतिमै: शरोत्तमै: । बिभेद पार्थ: स पपात नादयन्‌ हिमाद्रिकूटं कुलिशाहतं यथा

Transliteration

atha dvi-paṁ śvetavaraṁ bhrasaṁnibhaṁ divākarāṁśu-pratimaiḥ śarottamaiḥ | bibheda pārthaḥ sa papāta nādayan himādri-kūṭaṁ kuliśāhataṁ yathā ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：随后，帕尔塔（阿周那）以最上妙箭，炽然如日光之芒，洞穿那头卓绝的白象——白若明云。被射穿后，它轰然倒地，声若雷霆，恰似喜马拉雅一峰遭因陀罗金刚杵击碎而崩落。

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• द्विपम्: elephant
• द्विपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्वेतवर्णम्: white-colored
• श्वेतवर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेतवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भ्रसम्: violently, forcefully
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भ्रसम्

• निभम्: resembling
• निभम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निभ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दिवाकरांशु-प्रतिमैः: with (arrows) comparable to the sun’s rays
• दिवाकरांशु-प्रतिमैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिवाकरांशुप्रतिम
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शर-उत्तमैः: with excellent arrows
• शर-उत्तमैः: Karana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शरोत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बिभेद: pierced, split
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• पार्थः: Arjuna (son of Pṛthā)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he (that one, i.e., the elephant)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पपात: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• नादयन्: making a loud sound/roaring
• Type: Verb
• Root: नद्
• Form: Present active participle (Śatṛ), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हिमाद्रि-कूटम्: a peak of the Himalaya
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमाद्रिकूट
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कुलिश-आहतम्: struck by a thunderbolt
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुलिशाहत
• Form: Past passive participle (Kta), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• white elephant (dvipa)
• Sun (Divākara)
• Himālaya (Himādri)
• Indra’s thunderbolt (Kuliśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the overwhelming momentum of battle: skill and force can bring immediate ruin, and epic poetry frames this human act through cosmic imagery (sun-rays, Indra’s thunderbolt, the Himālaya), reminding the listener that war’s violence is vast in consequence and awe-inspiring in scale.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Arjuna striking a great white elephant with brilliant, powerful arrows. The elephant, pierced through, collapses with a tremendous roar, compared to a Himalayan peak felled by Indra’s thunderbolt.