Shloka 12

Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation

Devanagari script

तं च दीप्तं शरं घोरमायान्तं मृत्युमात्मन: । चिच्छेद शरवृष्टिं च भारद्वाजे मुमोच ह

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | taṃ ca dīptaṃ śaraṃ ghoraṃ āyāntaṃ mṛtyum ātmanaḥ | ciccheda śaravṛṣṭiṃ ca bhāradvāje mumoca ha ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing that dreadful, blazing arrow rushing toward him like death itself, Dhṛṣṭadyumna at once cut it down; and then he unleashed a rain of arrows upon Bhāradvāja (Droṇa).

Word by Word

• तम्: that (him/it)
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• दीप्तम्: blazing, radiant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शरम्: arrow
• शरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• घोरम्: terrible
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आयान्तम्: coming, approaching
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आत्मनः: of himself / for himself
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• चिच्छेद: cut, severed
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शर-वृष्टिम्: shower of arrows
• शर-वृष्टिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

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

• भारद्वाजे: on/at Bhāradvāja (Drona)
• भारद्वाजे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun (proper)
• Root: भारद्वाज
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• मुमोच: released, let fly
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Droṇācārya (Bhāradvāja)
• arrow (śara)
• shower of arrows (śaravṛṣṭi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores steadfastness and trained response under mortal threat: when danger appears as certain death, a warrior committed to duty meets it with presence of mind, skill, and decisive action rather than fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa releases a terrifying, blazing arrow at Dhṛṣṭadyumna. Dhṛṣṭadyumna immediately cuts it down and retaliates by sending a dense shower of arrows at Droṇa.