Shloka 24

आदि पर्व — जातुगृह-प्रसङ्गः: विदुरप्रेषित-खनकस्य सूचना तथा पलायन-मार्ग-निर्माणम्

Adi Parva 135: The Miner’s Warning and Construction of the Escape Passage

Devanagari script

गव्ये विषाणकोषे च चले रज्ज्ववलम्बिनि । निचखान महावीर्य: सायकानेकविंशतिम्‌,एक जगह गायका सींग एक रस्सीमें लटकाया गया था, जो हिल रहा था। महापराक्रमी अर्जुनने उस सींगके छेदमें लगातार इक्कीस बाण गड़ा दिये

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | gavye viṣāṇakoṣe ca cale rajjv-avalambini | nicakhāna mahāvīryaḥ sāyakān ekaviṃśatim ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: In the perforated horn set for the contest—hung by a rope and swaying—Arjuna, a man of great prowess, drove in twenty-one arrows in succession. The feat shows disciplined concentration and mastery of skill even under unstable conditions, a hallmark of kṣatriya excellence when directed toward rightful aims.

Word by Word

गव्येin/at the cow-pen (cattle-place)

विषाणकोषेin the horn-sheath / in the hollow of the horn

चand

चलेin/when (it was) moving

रज्जुby/with a rope

अवलम्बिनिhanging/suspended

निचखानhe drove in / he fixed (by piercing)

महावीर्यःthe very mighty (one)

सायकarrows

एकविंशतिम्twenty-one (in number)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Arjuna

viṣāṇa (horn)

rajjū (rope)

sāyaka (arrows)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Excellence is not mere strength but controlled attention and steadiness of mind; true kṣatriya prowess is shown by disciplined skill under difficult, unstable conditions, ideally used in service of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A horn with a small opening is suspended from a rope and is moving; Arjuna demonstrates extraordinary archery by repeatedly shooting and fixing twenty-one arrows into that opening.