Shloka 133

Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement

Devanagari script

महावेगं संकुरुते समुद्रो वेला चैनं धारयत्यप्रमेयम्‌ । “जलका स्वामी

Transliteration

mahāvegaṁ saṅkurute samudro velā cainaṁ dhārayaty aprameyam |

Translation

三阇耶说道：“大海迅疾而不可测，蓄势而发，掀起巨浪，足以淹没众人；然而海岸——它的界限——却能拦住那浩瀚之海。”

Word by Word

• महावेगम्: of great speed/force
• महावेगम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महावेग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• संकुरुते: makes/produces (manifests)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + कृ
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• समुद्रः: the ocean
• समुद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वेला: the shore/limit (coastline)
• वेला: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेला
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• एनम्: him/it (that one)
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• धारयति: holds back/restrains
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अप्रमेयम्: immeasurable
• अप्रमेयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रमेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• samudra (ocean)
• velā (shore/boundary)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even immense power must be governed by limits: like the sea’s overwhelming force restrained by the shore, strength and anger in war (and life) require dharmic boundaries and self-control to prevent harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya uses a vivid natural simile—an ocean’s surge checked by its shoreline—to comment on overwhelming force being contained, framing the battlefield events in terms of restraint and order amid destructive power.