Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 8

Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation

Devanagari script

सात्यकिं पञ्चविंशत्या शल्यो विव्याध मारिष । भीमसेनं तु सप्तत्या नकुलं सप्तभिस्तथा

Transliteration

sātyakiṃ pañcaviṃśatyā śalyo vivyādha māriṣa | bhīmasenaṃ tu saptatyā nakulaṃ saptabhis tathā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O revered one, Śalya struck Sātyaki with twenty-five arrows; Bhīmasena with seventy; and Nakula likewise with seven.

Word by Word

• सात्यकिम्: Sātyaki
• सात्यकिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पञ्चविंशत्या: with twenty-five (arrows)
• पञ्चविंशत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चविंशति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• शल्यः: Śalya
• शल्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विव्याध: pierced/wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• मारिष: O noble sir
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारिष
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भीमसेनम्: Bhīmasena
• भीमसेनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तु: and/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सप्तत्या: with seventy (arrows)
• सप्तत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• नकुलम्: Nakula
• नकुलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नकुल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सप्तभिः: with seven (arrows)
• सप्तभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• तथा: likewise/so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śalya
• Sātyaki (Yuyudhāna)
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Nakula
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address māriṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grim discipline of kṣatriya warfare: steadfastness under injury and the measured reporting of violence. Ethically, it points to endurance and duty amid chaos, while also reminding the listener of the escalating cost of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, fighting on the battlefield, shoots multiple volleys of arrows—25 at Sātyaki, 70 at Bhīma, and 7 at Nakula—showing Śalya’s aggressive momentum against key Pāṇḍava allies.