Shloka 7

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 42 — Duryodhana’s counsel to Bhīṣma on ajñātavāsa risk and raid strategy

Devanagari script

विपाठा: पृथव: कस्य गार्ध्रपत्रा: शिलाशिता: । हारिद्रवर्णा: सुमुखा: पीता: सर्वायसा: शरा:

Transliteration

uttara uvāca | vipāṭhāḥ pṛthavaḥ kasya gārdhrapatrāḥ śilāśitāḥ | hāridravarṇāḥ sumukhāḥ pītāḥ sarvāyasāḥ śarāḥ ||

Translation

উত্তৰাই ক’লে—এই বহল, স্থূল দণ্ডবিশিষ্ট বিপাঠ বাণ কাৰ, যিবোৰত গৃধ্ৰৰ পাখি লগোৱা আৰু শিলত ঘঁহি ধাৰ দিয়া? এইবোৰ হৰিদ্ৰাবৰ্ণ, সুন্দৰ অগ্ৰভাগযুক্ত, আৰু সকলো লোহাৰ শৰ—এইবোৰ কাৰ ব্যৱহাৰৰ বাবে?

Word by Word

• विपाठाः: vipāṭha-arrows (thick-shafted arrows)
• विपाठाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपाठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पृथवः: broad/thick
• पृथवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृथु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कस्य: of whom/whose
• कस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• गार्ध्रपत्राः: having vulture-feathers
• गार्ध्रपत्राः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गार्ध्र-पत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शिलाशिताः: sharpened on stone
• शिलाशिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिला-आशित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हारिद्रवर्णाः: turmeric-colored/yellow
• हारिद्रवर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हारिद्र-वर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सुमुखाः: beautiful-pointed/with fine tips
• सुमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-मुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पीताः: yellow; gilded
• पीताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वायसाः: made wholly of iron
• सर्वायसाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-आयस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शराः: arrows
• शराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

उत्तर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Uttara (Prince of Virāṭa)
• arrows (śarāḥ)
• vulture-feathers (gārdhrapatrāḥ)
• stone (śilā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights discernment and responsibility in the use of power: Uttara carefully examines the weapons and asks whose they are, implying that arms are not neutral objects but belong to a duty-bound context and a rightful wielder.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Virāṭa’s kingdom, Uttara notices a set of distinctive, high-quality arrows—broad, stone-whetted, vulture-fletched, yellow/gilded, and made wholly of iron—and asks to whom they belong and for what purpose they are kept.