Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तमापततन्तं नरवीरमुग्रं महाहवे बाणसहस्रधारिणम्‌

Transliteration

tam āpatatantaṃ naravīram ugraṃ mahāhave bāṇasahasradhāriṇam

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: In jener großen Schlacht stürmte der grimmige Held heran, eine Flut von tausend Pfeilen tragend — ein Bild unerbittlicher Kriegskraft, die in der ethischen Finsternis des Krieges nach vorn drängt.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आपतन्तम्: rushing/falling upon (approaching rapidly)
• आपतन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + पत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), Parasmaipada (active sense)

• नरवीरम्: the hero among men
• नरवीरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरवीर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उग्रम्: fierce, formidable
• उग्रम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाहवे: in the great battle
• महाहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• बाणसहस्रधारिणम्: bearing a thousand arrows
• बाणसहस्रधारिणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाणसहस्रधारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• नरवीर (a warrior-hero; unspecified in this half-verse)
• बाण (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the overwhelming momentum of martial aggression in war: a warrior’s prowess can appear awe-inspiring, yet it also highlights how battle magnifies violence and tests the boundaries of dharma through relentless force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a fierce warrior charging in the great battle, seemingly showering or wielding a thousand arrows—conveying the intensity of the assault and the escalating pressure on the opposing side.