Shloka 75

Devanagari script

निर्मुक्तसर्पप्रतिमैरभी क्षणं तैलप्रधौतै: खगपत्रवाजै:

Transliteration

nirmuktasarpa-pratimair abhīkṣṇaṁ taila-pradhautaiḥ khagapatra-vājaiḥ

Translation

সেয়া বাৰে বাৰে এনে বাণেৰে বিদ্ধ হৈছিল—কাত এৰি দিয়া সাপৰ দৰে দীপ্ত, যেন তেলত ধোৱা, আৰু পখীৰ পাখিৰ দৰে বেগবান।

Word by Word

निर्मुक्तसर्पप्रतिमैःwith (those) resembling cast-off snakeskins

अभिtowards, against

क्षणम्for a moment

तैलप्रधौतैःwashed/cleansed with oil

खगपत्रवाजैःwith arrows having bird-feathers (fletched arrows)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

arrows (śara/bāṇa implied)

snake (simile)

oil (polishing imagery)

bird-wings/feathers (simile)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war reduces action to relentless momentum: weapons become a continuous force, and a warrior’s dharma is tested through endurance, composure, and steadfastness amid suffering. The ethical tension lies in recognizing the terrible efficiency of violence while still observing one’s role-bound duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant being struck repeatedly by swift, polished arrows. The arrows are compared to freshly shed snakes and to bird-wing-like speed, emphasizing the rapid, unbroken barrage in the battle scene.