Shloka 216

Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ

Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement

Devanagari script

निर्मुक्ताशीविषा भानां सम्पातो5भूत्‌ सुदारुण: । प्रजानाथ! केंचुल छोड़कर निकले हुए सर्पोके समान निर्मल और सीधे जानेवाले नाराचोंका प्रहार वहाँ बड़ा भयंकर प्रतीत होता था

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

nirmuktāśīviṣā bhānāṁ sampāto 'bhūt sudāruṇaḥ |

prajānātha! keñcula choḍakara nikale hue sarpoṁ ke samāna nirmala aura sīdhē jānevāle nārācoṁ kā prahāra vahāṁ baḍā bhayaṅkara pratīta hotā thā |

Translation

قال سانجيا: يا سيد الناس، لقد انهمر هناك وابلٌ من السهام في غاية الفظاعة—كالأفاعي التي ألقت عنها جلدها، لامعةً سريعةً في اندفاعها المستقيم. وكان وقعُ سهام الناراچا النقية المستقيمة على ساحة القتال مرعبًا، يزيد ظلمة الحرب الأخلاقية، حيث تطغى المهارة والحنق على الرحمة.

Word by Word

निर्मुक्ताशीविषाःhaving cast off their venom (i.e., like snakes that have shed venom)

भाणाम्of the arrows (missiles)

सम्पातःthe fall/flight/onslaught

अभूत्became/was

सुदारुणःvery dreadful

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'prajānātha')

nārāca (iron arrows)

venomous serpents (simile)

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 underscores the terrifying momentum of warfare: when martial prowess is unleashed, it can become an impersonal storm of destruction. Ethically, it highlights how battle magnifies fear and suffering, reminding the listener (the king) of the grave consequences that follow from choosing and sustaining war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a fierce volley of arrows on the battlefield. The arrows are compared to snakes that have shed their skins—clean, gleaming, and straight in flight—making their collective impact seem especially dreadful.