Shloka 35

Devanagari script

नागं निवारितं दृष्टवा शैनेयस्य शरोत्तमै:

Transliteration

nāgaṃ nivāritaṃ dṛṣṭvā śaineyasya śarottamaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing the mighty force (likened to a serpent) checked and held back by Śaineya’s finest arrows, the course of the combat shifted.

Word by Word

• नागम्: the serpent/elephant (Nāga)
• नागम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• निवारितम्: checked/held back/warded off
• निवारितम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√वृ (वारयति)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund)

• शैनेयस्य: of Śaineya (son/descendant of Śini; i.e., Sātyaki)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैनेय
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शर-उत्तमैः: with excellent arrows
• शर-उत्तमैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरोत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śaineya (Sātyaki)
• nāga (serpent, metaphorical)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights restraint within violence: even overwhelming power (symbolized as a nāga) can be checked by disciplined skill. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical atmosphere, this suggests that prowess is not merely destructive; it can also function as control, protection, and strategic limitation amid dharma’s pressures in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śaineya (Sātyaki) uses his finest arrows to stop or hold back a formidable opponent (described metaphorically as a serpent). The line marks a tactical moment where one warrior’s superior archery restrains another’s advance.