Shloka 53

Devanagari script

निमेषार्धेन कौन्तेय आत्तमात्तं महारणे

Transliteration

nimeṣārdhena kaunteya āttamāttaṃ mahāraṇe

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Sohn der Kuntī, in der großen Schlacht—noch ehe ein halber Lidschlag verging—wurde die ergriffene Waffe sogleich wieder ergriffen (und entrissen).“

Word by Word

• निमेषार्धेन: by (in) half a blink
• निमेषार्धेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमेषार्ध
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कौन्तेय: O son of Kunti
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौन्तेय
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• आत्तम्: seized, taken up
• आत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आत्तम्: seized, taken up
• आत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महारणे: in the great battle
• महारणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kaunteya (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the razor-fast reversals possible in righteous combat: skill, alertness, and presence of mind can instantly overturn advantage. Ethically, it underscores the seriousness of kṣatriya duty—battle is not mere violence but a disciplined arena where mastery and restraint matter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where, almost instantaneously, a weapon that had been seized is seized back—conveying the speed and intensity of the duel and the exceptional martial prowess of the fighters involved.