Shloka 786

Devanagari script

ताडयामास निशितै: शरसंघै: समन्ततः । रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ श्वेतको रथहीन हुआ देख पितामह भीष्मने चारों ओरसे पैने बाणसमूहोंद्वारा उन्हें पीड़ा देनी प्रारम्भ की

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | tāḍayāmāsa niśitaiḥ śarasaṅghaiḥ samantataḥ | rathiyāṃ me śreṣṭhaṃ śvetakaṃ rathahīnaṃ huā dekh pitāmaha bhīṣmane cāroṃ orase painē bāṇasamūhoṃdvārā unheṃ pīḍā denī prārambha kī |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing Śveta—foremost among chariot-warriors—left without his chariot, the grandsire Bhīṣma began to assail him from every side with dense volleys of sharp arrows, pressing him with pain and peril amid the battle.

Word by Word

• ताडयामास: struck, smote
• ताडयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ताड्
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), perfect (narrative past), 3, singular

• निशितैः: with sharp (ones)
• निशितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निशित
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• शर-संघैः: with masses of arrows
• शर-संघैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरसंघ
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• समन्ततः: on all sides, all around
• समन्ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Bhishma
• Shvetaka
• arrows
• chariot

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the uncompromising force of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma): in war, a warrior must act decisively, and lapses in protection or preparedness can invite immediate danger. It also invites reflection on the ethical tension between martial obligation and compassion when an opponent becomes vulnerable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Bhishma, noticing the warrior Shvetaka has become chariotless, surrounds him with volleys of sharp arrows, intensifying the attack from all directions.