Shloka 61

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थामा कृतवर्मा शकुनिश्चव महाबल: । न्यहनन्‌ पाण्डवीं सेनां शतशो5थ सहस्रश:

Transliteration

Aśvatthāmā Kṛtavarmā Śakuniś caiva mahābalaḥ | nyahanan pāṇḍavīṃ senāṃ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

桑阇耶说道：阿湿婆他摩、克利多跋摩与沙昆尼——皆为大力之士——扑向般度军，先斩杀数百，继而屠戮至数千。

Word by Word

• अश्वत्थामा: Ashvatthaman
• अश्वत्थामा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थामन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृतवर्मा: Kritavarman
• कृतवर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शकुनिः: Shakuni
• शकुनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• महाबलः: very strong/mighty
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न्यहनन्: they struck down/killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural

• पाण्डवीं: Pandava (belonging to the Pandavas)
• पाण्डवीं: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाण्डवी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सेनाम्: army
• सेनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• शतशः: by hundreds
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस्

• अथ: and then/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• सहस्रशः: by thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Aśvatthāman
• Kṛtavarman
• Śakuni
• Pāṇḍava army (Pāṇḍavī senā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war, once unrestrained, rapidly escalates into indiscriminate mass killing. It implicitly warns that mere martial power (bala) without ethical restraint can become a vehicle for adharma, intensifying collective suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāman, Kṛtavarman, and Śakuni are actively attacking the Pāṇḍava forces, killing large numbers—first in the hundreds, then in the thousands—signaling a fierce and widening rout on the battlefield.