Shloka 27

Devanagari script

चित्रसेन: सुशर्माणं विद्ध्वा बहुभिरायसै: । पुनर्विव्याध त॑ षष्ट्या पुनश्च नवभि: शरै:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | citrasenaḥ suśarmāṇaṃ viddhvā bahubhir āyasaiḥ | punar vivyādha taṃ ṣaṣṭyā punaś ca navabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Having pierced King Suśarmā with many iron-shafted arrows, Citrasena again struck him—first with sixty, and once more with nine shafts.

Word by Word

• चित्रसेनः: Chitrasena
• चित्रसेनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रसेन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुशर्माणम्: Susharman
• सुशर्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुशर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विद्ध्वा: having pierced/wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), Non-finite

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• आयसैः: iron (made of iron)
• आयसैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयस
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• विव्याध: pierced/wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: LiT (Perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• षष्ट्या: with sixty
• षष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

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

• नवभिः: with nine
• नवभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नवन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Citrasena
• Suśarmā
• iron arrows (āyasa-śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the uncompromising nature of kṣatriya-duty in war: once engaged, a warrior pursues the objective with steadiness and force. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between dharma as duty and the grim cost of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Citrasena repeatedly shoots Suśarmā: first wounding him with many iron arrows, then striking him again with sixty arrows, and again with nine more, intensifying Suśarmā’s suffering on the battlefield.