Shloka 46

Devanagari script

अयं महास्त्रप्रहितो महाशर: शरीरदह्वच्चासुहरश्न दुर्हद: । तपो<स्ति तप्तं गुरवश्च॒ तोषिता मया यदीरष्ट सुहृदां श्रुतं तथा

Transliteration

ayaṁ mahāstraprahito mahāśaraḥ śarīradahvac cāsuharaś ca durhṛdaḥ | tapo 'sti taptaṁ guravaś ca toṣitā mayā yad īrṣṭa suhṛdāṁ śrutaṁ tathā ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Dieser mächtige Pfeil, von einer großen Waffe entsandt, ist ein brennender Schmerz für den Leib und ein schneller Räuber des Lebens – schwer zu ertragen. Doch habe ich Askese geübt und meine Lehrer zufriedengestellt; und was ich von wohlmeinenden Freunden vernommen habe, hat sich als wahr erwiesen.“

Word by Word

अयम्this

महास्त्र-प्रहितःdischarged by a great weapon

महाशरःa great arrow

शरीर-दह्वत्burning the body

चand

असु-हरःlife-taking

दुर्हदःhard to withstand / formidable

तपःausterity, penance

अस्तिis / exists

तप्तम्performed / undergone (heated)

गुरवःteachers, elders

चand

तोषिताःpleased, satisfied

मयाby me

यदिif

ईरष्टhas been invoked/uttered (uncertain reading)

सुहृदाम्of friends, well-wishers

श्रुतम्what is heard / tradition / report

तथाso, thus

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

mahāśara (great arrow)

mahāstra (great weapon)

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?

Even amid the violence of war, the verse highlights the moral weight of preparation and counsel: disciplined effort (tapas), reverence to teachers, and heeding well-wishers’ words are presented as sources of reliable knowledge when facing grave, life-threatening outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a devastating arrow released by a powerful weapon—one that burns the body and steals life—then reflects that his prior austerities, respect for teachers, and the counsel he had heard from friends have proven accurate in the unfolding events.