Shloka 39

Devanagari script

'योद्धाओ! अपने अस्त्र-शस्त्र शीघ्र नीचे डाल दो और सवारियोंसे उतर जाओ। परमात्मा नारायणने इस अस्त्रके निवारणके लिये यही उपाय निश्चित किया है ।। दविपाश्वस्यन्दने भ्यक्ष क्षितिं सर्वेडवरोहत । एवमेतन्न वो हन्यादस्त्र भूमौ निरायुधान्‌,“तुम सब लोग हाथी, घोड़े और रथोंसे उतरकर पृथ्वीपर आ जाओ। इस प्रकार भूमिपर निहत्थे खड़े हुए तुमलोगोंको यह अस्त्र नहीं मार सकेगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yoddhāḥ svāny astrāṇi śastrāṇi kṣipraṃ nikṣipata vāhanebhyaś ca avarohata | paramātmā nārāyaṇo hy asyāstrasya nivāraṇāya evam upāyaṃ niścitavān | dvipāśva-syandane bhyaś ca kṣitiṃ sarve ’vavrohata | evam etan na vo hanyād astram bhūmau nirāyudhān ||

Translation

হে যোদ্ধাসকল! শীঘ্ৰে তোমালোকৰ অস্ত্ৰ-শস্ত্ৰ তলত থোৱা আৰু বাহনৰ পৰা নামি আহা। এই অস্ত্ৰ নিবারণৰ বাবে পৰমাত্মা নাৰায়ণে এই উপায়েই স্থিৰ কৰিছে। তোমালোক সকলোৱে হাতী, ঘোঁৰা আৰু ৰথৰ পৰা নামি ভূমিত আহা; এইদৰে ভূমিত নিৰায়ুধ হৈ থিয় দিলে এই অস্ত্ৰে তোমালোকক আঘাত কৰিব নোৱাৰে।

Word by Word

द्विपाश्वस्यन्दनेभ्यःfrom elephants, horses, and chariots

भटाःsoldiers

क्षितिम्the earth/ground

सर्वेall

अवरोहतdescend (get down)

एवम्thus/in this way

एतत्this (weapon/act)

नःus/our

नnot

वःof you/your

हन्यात्might kill/should kill

अस्त्रम्the weapon/missile

भूमौon the ground

निरायुधान्unarmed (ones)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Nārāyaṇa

astra (missile/weapon)

śastra (hand-weapons)

elephants

horses

chariots

earth/ground (kṣiti/bhūmi)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical and strategic principle: when a devastating weapon is unleashed, the safest and most dharmic recourse may be to renounce aggression—lay down arms and become visibly non-combatant—so that the weapon’s force (or its governing rule) cannot justly or effectively strike the unarmed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an urgent instruction to the fighters: immediately drop weapons and dismount from elephants, horses, and chariots. This is presented as the remedy fixed by Nārāyaṇa to neutralize an incoming astra, since those standing on the ground without weapons will not be slain by it.