Shloka 396

Devanagari script

पतन्त्यविरला: शूला: शतघ्न्य: पट्टिशास्तथा । लोहेके चक्र, भुशुण्डी, शक्ति, तोमर, शूल, शतघ्नी और पट्टिश आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी अविरल धाराएँ गिर रही थीं

Transliteration

patanty aviralāḥ śūlāḥ śataghnyaḥ paṭṭiśās tathā |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Unaufhörlich regnete es schwere Waffen—Speere, Śataghnīs und Paṭṭiśas—sodass das Schlachtfeld von einem unerbittlichen Eisenhagel bedeckt schien, der Schrecken und moralische Last des Krieges noch steigerte.

Word by Word

• पतन्ति: fall (are falling)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम, बहुवचन

• अविरलाः: unbroken, continuous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविरल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• शूलाः: spears, pikes
• शूलाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• शतघ्न्यः: sataghnis (missile/weapon, lit. 'hundred-slayer')
• शतघ्न्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतघ्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पट्टिशाः: battle-axes / hatchets
• पट्टिशाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पट्टिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: and also, likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• śūla (spear)
• śataghnī
• paṭṭiśa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim reality of war: when violence becomes continuous and indiscriminate, it magnifies fear and suffering, reminding the listener that even ‘duty-bound’ warfare carries heavy ethical and human costs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battle at its fiercest moment, where a constant barrage of weapons—spears, śataghnīs, and axes—falls upon the combatants, conveying the intensity and chaos of the fighting.