Shloka 109

Devanagari script

अलातचक्रप्रतिमं तस्य मण्डलमायुधम्‌ | द्रौणेरासीन्महाराज बाणान्‌ विसृजतस्तदा

Transliteration

alātacakrapratimaṃ tasya maṇḍalam āyudham | drauṇer āsīn mahārāja bāṇān visṛjatas tadā ||

Translation

মহারাজ! সেই সময় দ্ৰোণিপুত্ৰে শৰ নিক্ষেপ কৰোঁতে তাৰ অস্ত্ৰৰ বৃত্তাকাৰ গতি ঘূৰ্ণায়মান অগ্নিশলাকাৰ চক্ৰৰ দৰে দেখা দিছিল।

Word by Word

• अलातचक्रप्रतिमम्: resembling a wheel of firebrand
• अलातचक्रप्रतिमम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलातचक्र-प्रतिमा
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• मण्डलम्: circle, disk
• मण्डलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आयुधम्: weapon
• आयुधम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुध
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• द्रौणेः: of Drona's son (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रौणेः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौणि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect, 3, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• बाणान्: arrows
• बाणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• विसृजतः: of (him) releasing/letting fly
• विसृजतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-सृज्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular, Present active participle

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)
• Droṇa
• arrows (bāṇa)
• weapon forming a circular sweep (maṇḍala āyudha)
• whirling firebrand (alātacakra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses the simile of a whirling firebrand to show how the spectacle of power in battle can be mesmerizing yet morally perilous: brilliance in violence does not lessen its harm, and wrath-driven prowess accelerates devastation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra how Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi), son of Droṇa, is releasing volleys of arrows; the motion of his weapon and the flight of missiles form a circular, fiery-looking ring, like a spinning firebrand.