Shloka 54

Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout

Devanagari script

ततः स नरशार्दूल: प्रतिविन्धयं महाहवे । कुक्षिदेशेडवधीद्‌ राजन्‌ स हतो न्यपतद्‌ भुवि

Transliteration

tataḥ sa naraśārdūlaḥ prativindhyaṁ mahāhave | kukṣideśe 'vadhīd rājan sa hato nyapatad bhuvi ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：随后，阿湿婆他摩——人中之虎——在大战中杀死了普拉提温陀耶。大王啊，他以剑击中其腹部，将其斩杀；被杀者倒落于地。

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नरशार्दूलः: tiger among men (great hero)
• नरशार्दूलः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरशार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रतिविन्ध्यम्: Prativindhya
• प्रतिविन्ध्यम्: Karma
• Type: ProperNoun
• Root: प्रतिविन्ध्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाहवे: in the great battle
• महाहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कुक्षिदेशे: in the region of the belly (in the abdomen)
• कुक्षिदेशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुक्षिदेश
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अवधीत्: killed, slew
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध्
• Form: Aorist (Luṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हतः: killed, slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न्यपतत्: fell down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, नि

• भुवि: on the ground, on the earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Aśvatthāmā
• Prativindhya
• khadga (sword)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how vengeance and rage in war can eclipse dharma: the killing is described with stark physicality, pointing to the moral collapse of a night-raid where compassion and the codes of fair combat are cast aside.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, in the course of the Sauptika episode, stabs Prativindhya in the abdomen with a sword, killing him; the slain warrior falls to the ground.