Shloka 496

Devanagari script

न चक्ुस्ते रुजं तस्य रुक्मपुड्खा: शिलाशिता: । महारथी शिखण्डीने रणक्षेत्रमें जिनका प्रयोग किया था

Transliteration

na cakṣuste rujaṃ tasya rukmapuṅkhāḥ śilāśitāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Even the gold-feathered arrows, honed sharp upon a whetstone, did not produce any wound or pain in him. Thus, on the battlefield, Śikhaṇḍin’s volleys failed to harm Bhīṣma—underscoring Bhīṣma’s extraordinary martial invulnerability and the fateful, dharma-laden conditions under which he could be brought down.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अकुस्ते: they caused / they made
• Type: Verb
• Root: अकु (अकुस्त)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, plural, Parasmaipada

• रुजम्: pain, hurt
• रुजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुज्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• तस्य: of him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• रुक्मपुङ्खाः: having golden feathers (fletching)
• रुक्मपुङ्खाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुक्मपुङ्ख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शिलाशिताः: whetted on stone; sharpened
• शिलाशिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिलाशित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Śikhaṇḍin
• arrows (rukmapuṅkhāḥ)
• whetstone (śilā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that mere force and weaponry do not always determine outcomes in a dharma-charged conflict; Bhīṣma’s fall is governed by specific ethical and fated conditions, so ordinary attacks—even expertly prepared—may prove ineffective.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śikhaṇḍin’s sharpened, gold-fletched arrows, though used in the battle against Bhīṣma, did not cause Bhīṣma any visible wound or pain at that moment.