Shloka 9

Vāraṇāvatāgamana: Public Farewell, Vidura’s Coded Counsel, and Departure

Devanagari script

ततस्तस्य नगस्थस्य क्षुरेण निशितेन च । शिर उत्कृत्य तरसा पातयामास पाण्डव:,फिर तो पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनने अपने चलाये हुए तीखे क्षुर नामक बाणसे वृक्षपर बैठे हुए उस गीधका मस्तक वेगपूर्वक काट गिराया

Transliteration

tatas tasya nagasthasya kṣureṇa niśitena ca | śira utkṛtya tarasā pātayāmāsa pāṇḍavaḥ ||

Translation

Da trennte der Pāṇḍava (Arjuna) mit einem kṣura genannten, rasiermesserscharfen und fein geschliffenen Pfeil in jäher Schnelle den Kopf des Vogels, der auf dem Baum saß, und ließ ihn herabfallen.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

तस्यof him/that

नगस्थस्यof (the one) situated on a tree/mountain

क्षुरेणwith the razor(-like arrow) ‘Kṣura’

निशितेनsharp, whetted

चand

शिरःhead

उत्कृत्यhaving cut off

तरसाwith speed/force

पातयामासcaused to fall, felled

पाण्डवःthe Pāṇḍava (Arjuna)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍava (Arjuna)

kṣura (razor-arrow)

tree

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights decisive martial competence—speed, precision, and effectiveness—while implicitly inviting ethical reflection on when such force is justified and how power should be exercised with discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Pāṇḍava (understood as Arjuna) uses a sharp kṣura-arrow to cut off the head of a bird sitting on a tree, causing it to fall.