Shloka 40

Devanagari script

राक्षसेन्द्रस्ततस्तस्य धनुश्चिच्छेद भारत । अर्धचन्द्रेण समरे तं च विव्याध सायकै:,भारत! तब राक्षसराज अलम्बुषने रणक्षेत्रमें अर्धचन्द्राकार बाणके द्वारा सात्यकिके धनुषको काट दिया और अनेक सायकोंका प्रहार करके उन्हें भी घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

rākṣasendras tatas tasya dhanuś ciccheda bhārata | ardhacandreṇa samare taṃ ca vivyādha sāyakaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the lord of the Rākṣasas cut down his bow, O Bhārata, with a crescent-headed arrow in the thick of battle; and with a shower of shafts he struck him as well, wounding him.

Word by Word

राक्षसेन्द्रःthe lord of the Rakshasas (Rakshasa-king)

ततःthen, thereafter

तस्यof him (his)

धनुःbow

चिच्छेदcut, severed

भारतO Bharata

अर्धचन्द्रेणwith a half-moon (crescent-shaped) arrow

समरेin battle

तम्him

चand

विव्याधpierced, wounded

सायकैःwith arrows

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)

Rākṣasendra (Alambuṣa, per context)

Sātyaki (per context)

dhanuḥ (bow)

ardhacandra (crescent-headed arrow)

sāyaka (arrows)

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 a battlefield ethic where skill and decisiveness matter: disabling an enemy’s weapon (cutting the bow) is a strategic act that shifts the balance instantly. It also reflects the harsh moral atmosphere of war—once a warrior is disarmed, vulnerability follows, showing how quickly power can turn into peril.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the rākṣasa leader (identified in the running context as Alambuṣa) severs Sātyaki’s bow with a crescent-headed arrow and then wounds him with multiple arrows, intensifying the duel amid the larger Kurukṣetra battle.