Shloka 44

Devanagari script

तस्य तल्लाघवं दृष्ट्वा द्रोण: क्षत्रियमर्दन: । व्यसृजत्‌ सायकांस्तूर्ण शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,उसकी वह फुर्ती देखकर क्षत्रियोंका संहार करनेवाले द्रोणाचार्यने शीघ्र ही उसपर सैकड़ों और सहस्रों बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी

Transliteration

tasya tallāghavaṁ dṛṣṭvā droṇaḥ kṣatriyamardanaḥ | vyasṛjat sāyakāṁs tūrṇaṁ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing his swift agility, Droṇa—renowned as a crusher of warriors—at once loosed a storm of arrows, hundreds and then thousands, to check that prowess amid the fury of battle.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• लाघवम्: lightness; agility
• लाघवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाघव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Non-finite

• द्रोणः: Drona
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षत्रियमर्दनः: crusher/slayer of kshatriyas
• क्षत्रियमर्दनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षत्रिय-मर्दन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यसृजत्: he discharged; he released
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-सृज्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सायकान्: arrows
• सायकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तूर्णम्: swiftly; quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण

• शतशः: by hundreds; in hundreds
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस्

• अथ: and then; moreover
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• सहस्रशः: by thousands; in thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa
• arrows (sāyaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how prowess in war invites an immediate and proportionate counter-response: skill and speed provoke escalation. Ethically, it reflects the battlefield logic of kṣatriya-dharma—meeting force with force—while also hinting at the tragic momentum of violence, where excellence becomes a cause for intensified attack.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Droṇa observes an opponent’s remarkable agility and responds instantly by releasing a massive volley of arrows—first in the hundreds, then in the thousands—aimed at overwhelming and restraining that swift fighter.