Shloka 25

Devanagari script

शरजालावृतं व्योम चक्रतुस्ती महारथौ । मेघाविव तपापाये वीरौ समरदुर्मदौ

Transliteration

śarajālāvṛtaṁ vyoma cakratuḥ stau mahārathau | meghāv iva tapāpāye vīrau samaradurmadau ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Jene beiden großen Wagenkämpfer erfüllten den Himmel mit einem Netz von Pfeilen, sodass es schien, als zögen am Ende der heißen Jahreszeit Wolken auf. Beide Helden, berauscht von der Wut der Schlacht, trieben den Kampf mit unerbittlicher Kraft voran.

Word by Word

• शरजालावृतम्: covered by a net of arrows
• शरजालावृतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरजाल-आवृत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• व्योम: sky
• व्योम: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• चक्रतुः: they made
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Dual

• ते: those two
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• महारथौ: two great chariot-warriors
• महारथौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• मेघौ: two clouds
• मेघौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेघ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• तपापाये: at the cessation of heat (end of summer)
• तपापाये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप-अपाय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• वीरौ: two heroes
• वीरौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• समरदुर्मदौ: hard to subdue in battle / battle-fierce
• समरदुर्मदौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समर-दुर्मद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• two mahārathas (unnamed in this verse)
• arrows (śara)
• sky (vyoma)
• clouds (megha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how unchecked martial ardor can become overwhelming—so intense that it metaphorically darkens the sky. Ethically, it invites reflection on the intoxicating momentum of conflict and the need for restraint even among the greatest warriors.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a fierce exchange between two elite chariot-warriors: their volleys of arrows form a ‘net’ that covers the sky, likened to clouds appearing when the heat of summer breaks—signaling the battle’s escalating, engulfing intensity.