Mahabharata 7.173.263 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 173, Shloka 263

Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

अर्जुन योधयन्ति स्म क्षत्रिया: कालचोदिता: । वे कालप्रेरित क्षत्रिय अर्जुनपर बड़े-बड़े अस्त्रोंकी वर्षा करते हुए उनके साथ युद्ध करने लगे

Transliteration

arjunaṃ yodhayanti sma kṣatriyāḥ kālacoditāḥ |

Translation

قال سنجيا: مدفوعين بقهر «كالا»—الزمن—اندفع محاربو الكشاتريا على أرجونا واشتبكوا معه، يمطرونه بوابلٍ من المقاذيف العظيمة؛ صورةٌ لحربٍ تُساق فيها إرادة البشر إلى زخمٍ أوسع، قدريّ، نحو الهلاك.

Word by Word

• अर्जुनम्: Arjuna (as the object)
• अर्जुनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• योधयन्ति: were causing to fight / were fighting (against)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (योधयति, causative)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• स्म: indeed; (particle marking past narration)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म

• क्षत्रियाः: the Kshatriyas / warriors
• क्षत्रियाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कालचोदिताः: impelled by Time (fate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कालचोदित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Kṣatriyas
• Kāla (Time/Destiny)
• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds kāla (Time) as a compelling force behind human conflict: even mighty warriors act as if driven by destiny. Ethically, it frames the battle as not merely personal hostility but part of a larger, inexorable unfolding—inviting reflection on agency, responsibility, and the tragic momentum of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that kṣatriya fighters, stirred by the force of Time, close in on Arjuna and engage him, attacking with powerful weapons and missiles as the battle intensifies around him.