Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ज्वलन्तं शूलमुद्रम्य यां दिशं प्रतिपद्यते । तस्यां दिशि विदीर्यन्ते शत्रवों मे महामुने,महामुने! वे जलता हुआ शूल हाथमें लेकर जिस ओर जाते उसी दिशामें मेरे शत्रु विदीर्ण हो जाते थे

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | jvalantaṁ śūlam udyamya yāṁ diśaṁ pratipadyate | tasyāṁ diśi vidīryante śatravo me mahāmune ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „O großer Weiser! Sooft er den lodernden Speer erhob und in irgendeine Richtung vordrang, wurden in eben dieser Richtung meine Feinde zerrissen und zerschmettert. So unwiderstehlich war die Kraft, die mit ihm ging: Sie wendete die Flut der Schlacht und ließ die Unrechtmäßigen vor einer Macht fallen, die wie göttlich geladen schien.“

Word by Word

ज्वलन्तम्blazing

शूलम्spear, trident-like weapon

उद्यम्यhaving lifted/raised

याम्which

दिशम्direction

प्रतिपद्यतेgoes toward, proceeds

तस्याम्in that

दिशिin the direction

विदीर्यन्तेare torn apart, are split

शत्रवःenemies

मेmy

महामुनेO great sage

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

mahāmuni (great sage, addressee)

śūla (blazing spear/weapon)

diś (direction)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the overwhelming momentum of a divinely empowered warrior in a dharma-yuddha setting: when power is aligned with a higher force or rightful cause, opposition collapses. Ethically, it also underscores the grave consequences of entering an unrighteous path in war—destruction becomes swift and unavoidable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is describing a battlefield phenomenon to a great sage: a figure (implied from context) raises a blazing spear and moves toward a direction, and enemies positioned there are immediately shattered. It conveys awe at a superhuman or divinely backed martial force operating in the conflict.