Shloka 75

Devanagari script

निर्मुक्तसर्पप्रतिमैरभी क्षणं तैलप्रधौतै: खगपत्रवाजै:

Transliteration

nirmuktasarpa-pratimair abhīkṣṇaṁ taila-pradhautaiḥ khagapatra-vājaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Immer wieder wurde er von Pfeilen getroffen—glänzend wie Schlangen, die eben ihre Haut abgestreift haben, und poliert, als wären sie in Öl gewaschen—schnell wie Vogelschwingen. Das Bild betont die unablässige, unpersönliche Gewalt der Schlacht, in der Können und Zorn die Waffen zu einem fortwährenden, beinahe natürlichen Ansturm machen und Ausdauer wie Entschlossenheit prüfen, während die gewöhnliche moralische Ordnung zerfällt.

Word by Word

निर्मुक्तसर्पप्रतिमैःwith (those) resembling cast-off snakeskins

अभिtowards, against

क्षणम्for a moment

तैलप्रधौतैःwashed/cleansed with oil

खगपत्रवाजैःwith arrows having bird-feathers (fletched arrows)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

arrows (śara/bāṇa implied)

snake (simile)

oil (polishing imagery)

bird-wings/feathers (simile)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war reduces action to relentless momentum: weapons become a continuous force, and a warrior’s dharma is tested through endurance, composure, and steadfastness amid suffering. The ethical tension lies in recognizing the terrible efficiency of violence while still observing one’s role-bound duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant being struck repeatedly by swift, polished arrows. The arrows are compared to freshly shed snakes and to bird-wing-like speed, emphasizing the rapid, unbroken barrage in the battle scene.