Shloka 88

Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)

Devanagari script

धनुरन्यत्‌ समादाय शिखण्डी तु महायशा: । अवारयन्‌ कूर्मनखैराशुगै्दिकात्मजम्‌,तत्पश्चात्‌ महायशस्वी शिखण्डीने भी दूसरा धनुष लेकर कछुओंके नखोंके समान धारवाले बाणोंद्वारा कृतवर्माका सामना किया

Transliteration

dhanur anyat samādāya śikhaṇḍī tu mahāyaśāḥ | avārayan kūrmanakhair āśugair dikātmajam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the illustrious Śikhaṇḍī, taking up another bow, checked Dikātmaja (Kṛtavarmā) with swift arrows whose points were sharp like a tortoise’s claws. In the thick of battle, this depicts the warrior’s resolve and tactical adaptability—meeting force with disciplined counterforce rather than yielding ground.

Word by Word

धनुःbow

अन्यत्another

समादायhaving taken up

शिखण्डीShikhandi

तुbut/indeed

महायशाःof great fame

अवारयत्checked/stopped/warded off

कूर्मनखैःwith (arrows) like tortoise-claws

आशुगैःswift

दिकात्मजम्the son of Dik (i.e., Kritavarman, as per some readings/tradition)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śikhaṇḍī

Kṛtavarmā (Dikātmaja)

bow (dhanus)

arrows (āśu; kūrmanakha-śara implied)

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?

Within the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma, the verse highlights steadiness and adaptability: when challenged, a warrior does not collapse into panic but re-equips and responds with controlled, skillful resistance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī takes up a different bow and confronts Kṛtavarmā, holding him back with rapid, sharply pointed arrows likened to tortoise claws.