Shloka 39

Devanagari script

तत आदाय वीराणामस्त्रैरस्त्राणि पाण्डव:

Transliteration

tata ādāya vīrāṇām astrair astrāṇi pāṇḍavāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Dann ergriffen die Pāṇḍavas die Waffen der Helden und begegneten Waffe mit Waffe—sie parierten jedes Geschoss mit dem eigenen—sodass die Schlacht zu einem Wettstreit von Können und Entschlossenheit wurde, nicht zu bloßem Gemetzel.

Word by Word

ततःthen; thereafter

आदायhaving taken; taking up

वीराणाम्of the heroes/warriors

अस्त्रैःwith weapons

अस्त्राणिweapons (missiles/arms)

पाण्डवःthe Pandava (Arjuna/Pandava warrior)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍavas

vīrāḥ (heroes/warriors)

astra (weapons/missiles)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of meeting force with disciplined skill: in righteous warfare, one does not strike blindly but responds proportionately and expertly, turning violence into regulated combat governed by martial codes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the Drona Parva where the Pāṇḍavas actively counter the opponents’ missiles—taking up and deploying weapons so that each attack is answered by a corresponding weapon, intensifying the duel-like character of the fighting.