Shloka 40

Devanagari script

शक्ति च ट्रुपदो घोरामायसीं स्वर्णभूषिताम्‌

Transliteration

śaktiṃ ca trupado ghorām āyasīṃ svarṇabhūṣitām

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Auch Drupada besaß eine schreckliche Śakti—einen schweren eisernen Wurfspeer—mit Gold geschmückt; eine Waffe von düsterem Vorzeichen, bereitet für die brutalen Forderungen des Schlachtfeldes.

Word by Word

• शक्तिम्: spear, lance
• शक्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• त्रुपदः: Drupada (proper name)
• त्रुपदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रुपद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• घोराम्: terrible, dreadful
• घोराम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आयसीम्: made of iron
• आयसीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयस
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• स्वर्णभूषिताम्: adorned with gold
• स्वर्णभूषिताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ण-भूषित
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drupada
• śakti (weapon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war amplifies human ingenuity into instruments of harm: even a weapon is made splendid with gold, reminding readers that outward brilliance can mask dreadful purpose—an ethical prompt to discern means and ends, not merely appearances.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Drupada’s armament, noting that he possessed a fearsome iron śakti decorated with gold, situating Drupada among the combatants equipped for the escalating violence of the Drona Parva battles.