Shloka 49

Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)

Devanagari script

अथान्यद्‌ धनुरादाय सर्वकायावदारणम्‌ | शालस्कन्धप्रतीकाशमिन्द्राशनिसमस्वनम्‌

Transliteration

athānyad dhanur ādāya sarvakāyāvadāraṇam | śālaskandhapratīkāśam indrāśanisamasvanam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then he took up another bow—one that could rend an enemy’s whole body—shining like the trunk of a śāla tree and sounding like Indra’s thunderbolt, and he made ready to fight on.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अन्यत्: another (one)
• अन्यत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• सर्व: entire, all
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• काय: body
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवदारणम्: tearing asunder, rending
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव + दृ (→ दारण) / दारण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शाल: śāla tree
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाल
• Form: Masculine, Stem (in compound)

• स्कन्ध: trunk, shoulder (here: trunk)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Stem (in compound)

• प्रतीकाशम्: resembling (in appearance)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतीकाश
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इन्द्र: Indra
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Stem (in compound)

• अशनि: thunderbolt
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशनि
• Form: Feminine, Stem (in compound)

• समस्वनम्: having a sound like, equal-sounding
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्वन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• śāla tree (śāla)
• Indra
• Indra’s thunderbolt (aśani)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse implicitly warns that martial excellence carries immense destructive capacity; in dharmic reflection, such power demands restraint and right intention, since war amplifies the consequences of human choice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior taking up a different bow, characterized by its terrifying ability to rend bodies, its massive appearance like a śāla trunk, and its thunderous sound like Indra’s bolt—signaling an intensification of the battle.