Mahabharata 9.45.54 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 45, Shloka 54

Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission

Devanagari script

सागरा: सरितश्चैव गिरयश्न महाबला: । ददुः सेनागणाध्यक्षान्‌ शूलपट्टिशधारिण:

Transliteration

sāgarāḥ saritaś caiva girayaś ca mahābalāḥ | daduḥ senāgaṇādhyakṣān śūlapaṭṭiśadhāriṇaḥ ||

Translation

毗舍摩波耶那说道：甚至大海、江河与雄伟群山，仿佛也献出军旅统领——执矛持重兵之士——宛如自然之力本身正为将临的冲突输送战士。此景更添战争的道德沉重：当争斗膨胀至如此规模，似乎整个世界都被卷入，供给暴力的器具与执行者。

Word by Word

• सागराः: oceans
• सागराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

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

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• गिरयः: mountains
• गिरयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाबलाः: mighty/very strong
• महाबलाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ददुः: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (ददाति)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सेनागणाध्यक्षान्: commanders/leaders of troops
• सेनागणाध्यक्षान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनागणाध्यक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• शूलपट्टिशधारिणः: bearing spears and axes
• शूलपट्टिशधारिणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूलपट्टिशधारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• oceans (sāgara)
• rivers (sarita)
• mountains (giri)
• army commanders (senāgaṇādhyakṣa)
• spears (śūla)
• paṭṭiśa weapons

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses cosmic imagery to underline how war can feel all-encompassing: when adharma-driven violence expands, it seems as if even nature is compelled to furnish weapons and warriors. The ethical undertone is a warning about the magnitude and contagion of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a surge of martial leadership and armed men—commanders bearing spears and heavy weapons—through a hyperbolic comparison: oceans, rivers, and mountains are said to 'give' them, emphasizing the vastness and inevitability of the battle atmosphere in the Shalya Parva context.