Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अथ पाण्डवमस्यन्तममित्रघ्नकराछ्छरान्‌

Transliteration

atha pāṇḍavam asyantam amitraghna-karāc charān

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, as the Pāṇḍava was shooting arrows, shafts released from the hand of the foe-slayer struck forth—signaling the relentless exchange of missile-weapons in the battle, where valor and duty are tested amid escalating violence.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• पाण्डवम्: the Pandava (one of the Pandavas)
• पाण्डवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अस्यन्तम्: shooting, hurling
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (क्षेपणे)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अमित्रघ्नकरात्: from the enemy-slayer's hand
• अमित्रघ्नकरात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमित्रघ्नकर
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• छरान्: arrows
• छरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• a Pāṇḍava (unspecified)
• amitraghna (epithet of an enemy-slaying warrior)
• arrows (śarāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma: warriors persist in their appointed duty even amid danger, where courage and discipline are continually measured by the exchange of weapons.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the fight: while a Pāṇḍava warrior is actively shooting, arrows launched from the hand of a renowned enemy-slayer fly forth against him, intensifying the duel-like missile exchange.