Shloka 10

अर्जुनस्य प्रतिघातः — श्रुताय्वच्युतायुवधः तथा गजसैन्यविदारणम्

Arjuna’s Counterstroke: Slaying of Śrutāyu and Acyutāyu; Breaking the Elephant Corps

Devanagari script

अग्निष्टोमातिरात्राभ्यामिष्टवा विश्वजिता अपि | वाजपेयसहस्राणां सहसैश्न सुसंवृतैः

Transliteration

agniṣṭomātirātrābhyām iṣṭvā viśvajitā api | vājapeyasahasrāṇāṁ sahasaiś ca susaṁvṛtaiḥ ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: „Selbst nachdem man die Opfer Agniṣṭoma und Atirātra vollzogen und auch das Viśvajit-Ritual dargebracht hat—ja, selbst nachdem man Tausende von Vājapeya-Opfern vollendet hat, jedes mit voller und rechter ritueller Vollständigkeit—soll man erkennen, dass bloße Fülle an Opfern für sich genommen nicht das letzte Maß des Dharma ist.“

Word by Word

अग्निष्टोमातिरात्राभ्याम्by (means of) the Agniṣṭoma and Atirātra (sacrifices)

इष्ट्वाhaving sacrificed / having performed (a sacrifice)

विश्वजिताby the Viśvajit (sacrifice)

अपिalso / even

वाजपेयसहस्राणाम्of thousands of Vājapeya (sacrifices)

सहसाsuddenly / forcibly / swiftly

एषthis (one)

नnot

सुसंवृतैःby well-covered / well-enclosed (ones/things)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice)

Atirātra (sacrifice)

Viśvajit (sacrifice)

Vājapeya (sacrifice)

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 underscores that even vast quantities of correctly performed Vedic sacrifices are not automatically the highest criterion of dharma; ethical and spiritual evaluation cannot rest on ritual magnitude alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is speaking and cites a series of eminent yajñas—Agniṣṭoma, Atirātra, Viśvajit, and thousands of Vājapeyas—setting up a moral comparison or instruction about what truly constitutes righteousness beyond ritual accomplishment.