Mahabharata 7.136.293 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 136, Shloka 293

Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption

Devanagari script

प्राविशन्‌ मेदिनीं भीमा: क्रीज्च॑ पत्ररथा इव । वे पंखधारी भयानक बाण भीमसेनकी बायीं भुजा छेदकर पृथ्वीमें समा गये, मानो पक्षी क्रौंच पर्वतको जा रहे हों

Transliteration

prāviśan medinīṃ bhīmāḥ krīñca-patrarathā iva | te pakṣa-dhārī bhayānakā bāṇā bhīmasenakī bāhūṃ chittvā pṛthivīṃ samāgatāḥ, māno pakṣiṇaḥ krauñca-parvataṃ yānti ||

Translation

সঞ্জয় বললেন—ভয়ংকর ডানাওয়ালা সেই বাণগুলি প্রচণ্ড বেগে ভীমসেনের বাম বাহু ছেদন করে পৃথিবীতে প্রবেশ করল, যেন ক্রৌঞ্চ পর্বতের দিকে উড়ে যাওয়া পাখি।

Word by Word

• प्राविशन्: entered
• प्राविशन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √विश् (विश् प्रवेशने)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मेदिनीम्: the earth/ground
• मेदिनीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (स्त्री)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• भीमाः: terrible ones
• भीमाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम (विशेषण/नाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• क्रौञ्च: a krauñca bird
• क्रौञ्च: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रौञ्च (पुं)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पत्ररथाः: winged ones (lit. those whose chariot is wings)
• पत्ररथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्ररथ (पुं)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• इव: like/as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• arrows (bāṇa)
• earth (medinī/pṛthivī)
• Krauñca mountain (Krauñca-parvata)
• krauñca birds (krīñca/pakṣi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the stark reality of war: strength and valor do not make one invulnerable. It implicitly cautions against the dehumanizing momentum of violence—where weapons continue their course beyond the immediate act—inviting reflection on restraint and the ethical cost of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where fearsome, feathered arrows strike Bhīmasena, sever his arm, and then sink into the earth. The motion of the arrows is compared to birds flying toward the Krauñca mountain, emphasizing speed, inevitability, and grim force.