Shloka 256

Devanagari script

तस्याहमद्यातिरथस्य काया- च्छिरो हरिष्यामि शितै: पृषत्कै: । 'श्वेतवाहन अर्जुन मानी, अस्त्रवेत्ता, सिद्धहस्त, दिव्यास्त्रोंके ज्ञाता और शत्रुओंको मथ डालनेवाले हैं। आज मैं अपने पैने बाणोंद्वारा उन्हीं अतिरथी वीर अर्जुनका मस्तक धड़से काट लूँगा

Transliteration

tasya aham adyātirathasya kāyāc chiro hariṣyāmi śitaiḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ |

Translation

قال سَنْجَايَا: «اليوم سأفصل رأس ذلك الأتيراثا الجبار عن جسده بسهامي الحادّة».

Word by Word

तस्यof him

अहम्I

अद्यtoday

अतिरथस्यof the great chariot-warrior

कायात्from the body

शिरःhead

हरिष्यामिI will take away / sever

शितैःwith sharp

पृषत्कैःarrows

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Atiratha (as a warrior-class epithet)

Arrows (pṛṣatka)

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 kṣatriya ethos of unwavering resolve in battle, while implicitly raising ethical tension: vows of destruction and pride in prowess operate within (and sometimes strain) the ideals of dharma-yuddha.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the heat of the Kurukṣetra war, a combatant declares an intention to behead a foremost warrior (an atiratha) using sharp arrows; Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra as part of the unfolding battlefield account.