Shloka 216

Devanagari script

अविध्यन्निशितैर्बाणर्बहुभिमर्म भेदिभि: । दुःशासनने आगे बढ़कर मर्मस्थानोंको विदीर्ण करनेवाले अपने बहुसंख्यक तीखे बाणोंद्वारा महाबली नकुलको घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | avidhyann iśitair bāṇair bahubhir marma-bhedibhiḥ | duḥśāsano 'gre gatvā marma-sthānāni vidīrya sva-bahu-saṅkhyakaiḥ tīkṣṇa-bāṇaiḥ mahābalī nakulaṃ vyathayām āsa |

Translation

قال سنجيا: تقدّم دوحشاسانا إلى الأمام، فأصاب ناكولا الجبار بكثرةٍ من السهام الحادّة، تخترق المَرامِن—مواضع الجسد الحيوية—وتمزّق مكامن الضعف.

Word by Word

अविध्यत्wounded / pierced (shot at)

नकुलम्Nakula

निशितैःwith sharp

बाणैःarrows

बहुभिःwith many

मर्मभेदिभिःwith vital-part-piercing

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Duhshasana

Nakula

arrows (bāṇa)

vital points (marma)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of dharma-yuddha as experienced on the ground: skill and courage operate within a field of intense suffering. It invites reflection on the ethical burden of war—how even rightful combat entails grievous harm and tests restraint, purpose, and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Duhshasana moves forward and wounds Nakula by shooting many sharp arrows aimed at vital points, causing serious injury in the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle.