Shloka 166

भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः

Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading

Devanagari script

विव्याध सात्यकिं तूर्ण सायकानां शतेन ह | उसने सोनेकी पीठवाले दूसरे दुर्धर्ष धनुषको लेकर शीघ्र ही सौ बाणोंसे सात्यकिको घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

vivyādha sātyakiṁ tūrṇaṁ sāyakānāṁ śatena ha |

Translation

Sañjaya said: With swift precision, he pierced Sātyaki with a hundred arrows. Then, taking up a second, hard-to-withstand bow with a golden back, he quickly wounded Sātyaki again with a hundred shafts. The scene underscores the relentless intensity of the battlefield, where martial skill and resolve are tested amid the larger struggle over duty and allegiance.

Word by Word

• विव्याध: pierced, wounded
• विव्याध: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), 3, Singular, परस्मैपदम्

• सात्यकिम्: Sātyaki
• सात्यकिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तूर्णम्: swiftly, quickly
• तूर्णम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण

• सायकानाम्: of arrows
• सायकानाम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• शतेन: with a hundred
• शतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sātyaki
• arrows (sāyaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: duty is enacted through disciplined action and endurance, even when the immediate act is violent. It points to steadfastness and skill operating within the larger framework of allegiance and dharma on the battlefield.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that an unnamed warrior rapidly strikes Sātyaki, wounding him with a volley of one hundred arrows, emphasizing the speed and intensity of the ongoing duel amid the wider battle in Droṇa Parva.