Shloka 13

Virāṭa Rescued from Suśarmā; Night Battle and Royal Gratitude (विराटमोक्षणं सुशर्मवधाभिमुखं च)

Devanagari script

अदृश्यंस्तत्र गात्राणि शरैश्छिन्नानि भागश:

Transliteration

adṛśyan tatra gātrāṇi śaraiś chinnāni bhāgaśaḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: There, he saw limbs severed into pieces by arrows—an unsettling sight that underscores the harsh, fragmenting reality of violence and the grave moral weight carried by acts of war.

Word by Word

• अदृश्यन्: they saw
• अदृश्यन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), 3rd, Plural, परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: true

• गात्राणि: limbs/bodies
• गात्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• शरैः: by arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• छिन्नानि: cut off/severed
• छिन्नानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिन्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural, [object Object]

• भागशः: in parts, piece by piece
• भागशः: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भागशः
• Form: true

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• śara (arrows)
• gātra (limbs)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the stark consequences of armed conflict: bodily harm and fragmentation. Ethically, it serves as a reminder that even when warfare is undertaken under kṣatriya norms, its human cost is severe and should not be romanticized.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a scene where severed limbs are visible, cut apart by arrows. It conveys the intensity of the fighting and the grim aftermath witnessed on the spot.