Shloka 13

Devanagari script

पौरवो धृष्टकेतुं च शरैराच्छाद्य संयुगे | बहुधा दारयांचक्रे महेष्वासं महारथ:

Transliteration

pauravo dhṛṣṭaketuṁ ca śarair ācchādya saṁyuge | bahudhā dārayāṁcakre maheṣvāsaṁ mahārathaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the Paurava warrior covered Dhṛṣṭaketu with a shower of arrows and, striking again and again, tore into that great bowman—the mighty chariot-fighter—seeking to overpower him through relentless martial force.

Word by Word

• पौरवः: the Paurava (descendant of Puru)
• पौरवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौरव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धृष्टकेतुम्: Dhṛṣṭaketu
• धृष्टकेतुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टकेतु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• आच्छाद्य: having covered
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-छद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• बहुधा: in many ways / repeatedly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुधा

• दारयाम्: tore / pierced
• Type: Verb
• Root: दॄ (दारयति)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• चक्रे: did / made
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada

• महेष्वासम्: the great bowman
• महेष्वासम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महारथः: the great chariot-warrior
• महारथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Paurava (Kuru/Kaurava warrior)
• Dhṛṣṭaketu
• arrows (śara)
• battle (saṁyuga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of relentless engagement and the reality that prowess and endurance are tested through sustained effort; it underscores how war measures strength through repeated, forceful action rather than a single strike.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a Paurava warrior, in the midst of combat, showers Dhṛṣṭaketu with arrows and repeatedly pierces him, attempting to subdue a renowned archer and great chariot-fighter.