Shloka 876

Devanagari script

उच्चुक्रुशुस्तत: सर्वे तावका भरतर्षभ । भरतश्रेष्ठ! उत्तम सुवर्णकी बनी हुई उस शक्तिको भीष्मके पैने बाणोंसे नष्ट हुई देख आपके पुत्र हर्षके मारे जोर-जोरसे कोलाहल करने लगे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | uccukruśus tataḥ sarve tāvakā bharatarṣabha | bharataśreṣṭha uttama-suvarṇakī kṛtāṃ tāṃ śaktiṃ bhīṣmasya paiṇair bāṇair naṣṭāṃ dṛṣṭvā tava putrā harṣa-mārāḥ punaḥ punaḥ mahā-kolāhalaṃ cakruḥ |

Translation

Sanjaya said: Then all your warriors cried out loudly, O bull of the Bharata line. O best of the Bharatas, seeing that splendid spear—fashioned of excellent gold—shattered by Bhishma’s sharp arrows, your sons, carried away by exultation, raised a great and repeated uproar.

Word by Word

उच्चुक्रुशुःcried out, shouted

ततःthen, thereafter

सर्वेall

तावकाःyour (people), your side's men

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Bhishma

Dhritarashtra (implied by address 'tava' and Bharata epithets)

Kauravas (tāvakāḥ)

Dhritarashtra's sons (tava putrāḥ)

śakti (spear/javelin)

Bhishma's arrows (bāṇāḥ)

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?

The verse highlights how quickly warriors can be swept up by excitement in battle, treating the destruction of a weapon as decisive success. Ethically, it cautions against pride and premature celebration, urging steadiness and discernment amid the volatility of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the Kaurava side shouted loudly when they saw a splendid golden spear (śakti) destroyed by Bhishma’s sharp arrows; Dhritarashtra’s sons, elated, repeatedly raised a great uproar.