Mahabharata 7.189.54 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 189, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

स सर्वतो निवार्यनं शरजालेन पीडयन्‌

Transliteration

sa sarvato nivāryaṇaṃ śarajālena pīḍayan

Translation

قال سانجيا: أحاط به من كل جانب، وضغط عليه وعذّبه بشَبَكَةٍ من السهام—صورةٌ لإتقانٍ حربيٍّ يغدو، تحت وطأة ضرورة قهر الخصم، إكراهًا محضًا.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वतः: on all sides / from every direction
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः

• निवार्य: having restrained / having checked
• निवार्य: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√वृ (वृञ् वरणे)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), having restrained/checked

• एनम्: him
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शरजालेन: with a net/mass of arrows
• शरजालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरजाल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• पीडयन्: tormenting / afflicting
• पीडयन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पीड् (पीडने)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• net of arrows (śarajāla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights how tactical excellence in war—encirclement and sustained arrow-fire—can rapidly shift from disciplined kṣatriya prowess to overwhelming coercion. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between duty-bound combat and the impulse to dominate through sheer force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior gaining the upper hand by surrounding his opponent from all directions and harassing him with continuous volleys, figuratively a ‘net’ of arrows that restricts movement and inflicts sustained pressure.