Shloka 32

शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12

Devanagari script

चेकितानं हतं दृष्टवा पाण्डवेया महारथा:

Transliteration

cekitānaṃ hataṃ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍaveyā mahārathāḥ

Translation

三阇耶说道：“见到契吉多那被杀，般度诸子的大车战将因丧失而震骇——此事既使他们的决心更为深沉，也显露了战争无情的代价。”

Word by Word

• चेकितानम्: Chekitana (as the object seen)
• चेकितानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेकितान
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हतम्: slain
• हतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा)

• पाण्डवेयाः: the Pandava warriors/sons of Pandu (people of the Pandavas)
• पाण्डवेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डवेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महारथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Cekitāna
• Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍaveyāḥ)
• mahārathas (great chariot-warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical weight of kṣatriya warfare: even righteous allies fall, and leaders must bear grief without abandoning duty. It highlights how loss tests resolve and exposes the human cost behind heroic ideals.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas’ foremost chariot-warriors see Cekitāna killed. His death becomes a turning point of emotion and urgency, intensifying the battle’s tension and the Pāṇḍava camp’s response.