Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तौ शरार्चितसर्वाड्रौ शुशुभाते महाबलौ

Transliteration

tau śarārcita-sarvāḍrau śuśubhāte mahābalau

Translation

قال سنجيا: إنّ هذين المحاربين العظيمي القوة كانا يتلألآن فوق تلك الكتلة من الجند الشبيهة بالجبل، وقد غدت مزدانةً وموسومةً بوابل السهام. لقد برزا في ساحة القتال مثالين ساطعين للبأس، وسط الثقل الأخلاقي لحربٍ يقتل فيها القريبُ قريبه.

Word by Word

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

• शर-अर्चित-सर्व-अद्रौ: on all mountains honored/covered with arrows
• शर-अर्चित-सर्व-अद्रौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर + अर्चित + सर्व + अद्रि
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Dual

• शुशुभाते: shone, were splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुभ्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Dual, Ātmanepada

• महाबलौ: very mighty (two)
• महाबलौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• two mighty warriors (unnamed in this pāda)
• arrows (śara)
• mountain-like host/formation (aḍrau)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how martial excellence and radiance can coexist with the grim reality of war: even when the battlefield is ‘adorned’ by arrows (a poetic euphemism for violence), the narrative underscores the Kṣatriya ideal of steadfast courage—while implicitly reminding the listener of the heavy ethical cost of such splendor in a fratricidal conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two powerful fighters who stand out brilliantly amid a vast, mountain-like mass—likely a dense host or formation—now covered with arrows. The focus is on their conspicuous presence and prowess as the battle intensifies.