Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 26

शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host

with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter

Devanagari script

तस्य तौ भ्रातरौ राजन्‌ शरै: संनतपर्वभि:

Transliteration

tasya tau bhrātarau rājan śaraiḥ sannataparvabhiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, his two brothers were struck with arrows whose joints were well-bent and firmly set—missiles fashioned for deadly effect amid the press of battle.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• भ्रातरौ: two brothers
• भ्रातरौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

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

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• संनतपर्वभिः: having well-bent joints/knots (i.e., well-made)
• संनतपर्वभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संनतपर्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• two brothers (unnamed in this half-verse)
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the grim precision of warfare: expertly crafted weapons bring swift harm, reminding the listener that in war, skill and intent translate directly into suffering—an ethical prompt to weigh the human cost behind martial prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior’s two brothers are being hit by well-made arrows, continuing the battlefield account in which specific strikes and their effects are narrated moment by moment.