Shloka 26

Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard

Devanagari script

कवचान्यवदीर्यन्ते शरै: संनतपर्वभि: । छिद्यन्ते च ध्वजाग्राणि तोमराश्न धनूंषि च

Transliteration

kavacāny avadīryante śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ | chidyante ca dhvajāgrāṇi tomarāś ca dhanūṃṣi ca ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Armours are being rent apart by arrows whose joints are bent; and the tips of banners are being severed—so too the javelins and the bows.”

Word by Word

• {'kavacāni': 'armours, cuirasses (protective gear of warriors)', 'avadīryante': 'are torn open, are rent asunder (passive)', 'śaraiḥ': 'by arrows', 'saṃnata-parvabhiḥ': 'having bent/curved joints or knots (a descriptive epithet of the arrows

• suggesting angled, jointed, or specially fashioned shafts)', 'chidyante': 'are cut, are severed (passive)', 'dhvaja-agrāṇi': 'the foremost parts/tips of banners or standards', 'tomarāḥ': 'javelins, spears (throwing weapons)', 'dhanūṃṣi': 'bows', 'ca': 'and'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• armour (kavaca)
• arrows (śara)
• banner/standard (dhvaja)
• javelin (tomara)
• bow (dhanus)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the fragility of external power—armour, weapons, and banners—when confronted by the force of war. It implicitly cautions that pride in martial display is transient, and that violence rapidly strips away the symbols of status, leaving only destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: arrows are ripping through warriors’ armours, while standards, javelins, and bows are being cut apart. It is a vivid inventory of how combat dismantles both protection and weaponry in the midst of the clash.