Shloka 42

Devanagari script

सात्यकिं च त्रिसप्तत्या पीडयामास वेगित: । स्वर्णपुड्खै: शिलाधौतैराकर्णापूर्णनि:सृतै:

Transliteration

sātyakiṃ ca trisaptatyā pīḍayāmāsa vegitaḥ | svarṇapuḍkhaiḥ śilādhautair ākarṇāpūrṇaniḥsṛtaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Dann bedrängte er Sātyaki mit rasender Wucht, indem er dreiundsiebzig Pfeile abschoss — goldbefiedert, steinglatt poliert und aus einem Bogen gelöst, der bis ans Ohr gespannt war.

Word by Word

सात्यकिम्Sātyaki (as object)

चand

त्रिसप्तत्याwith seventy-three (arrows)

पीडयामासtormented/pressed

वेगितःswift/impetuous

स्वर्णपुड्खैःwith golden-feathered (arrows)

शिलाधौतैःstone-polished

आकर्णापूर्णनिःसृतैःshot forth with the bow drawn to the ear (full-drawn)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Sātyaki (Yuyudhāna)

arrows (gold-fletched, polished)

bow (drawn to the ear)

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 ferocity and precision of kṣatriya warfare—speed, discipline, and technical mastery—while, in the Mahābhārata’s broader frame, reminding the reader that even expertly executed violence carries moral gravity within the ongoing debate about dharma in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied from context) attacks Sātyaki by showering him with seventy-three arrows, described in vivid technical detail: gold-fletched, polished, and released from a fully drawn bow, indicating a sustained and forceful assault.