Shloka 24

Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption

Devanagari script

तस्मिंस्तु विवरे राजन्‌ नाराचान्‌ गार्ध्रवासस:

Transliteration

tasmiṁstu vivare rājan nārācān gārdhravāsasaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, in that very opening (the gap in the formation), the warriors clad in vulture-feathers discharged nārāca arrows.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• विवरे: in the opening/gap
• विवरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नाराचान्: iron arrows
• नाराचान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाराच
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• गार्ध्रवाससः: he whose garment is of vulture-feathers (i.e., Arjuna)
• गार्ध्रवाससः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गार्ध्रवासस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• vivara (gap/opening in the battle formation)
• nārāca (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the tactical reality of war: when a breach appears, combatants exploit it immediately. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—kṣatriya duty and battlefield necessity often drive swift, forceful action, even as the broader epic questions the human cost of such choices.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at a specific gap in the battle array, fighters described as ‘gārdhravāsasaḥ’ shoot nārāca arrows into that opening, indicating a concentrated attack aimed at breaking or penetrating the opposing formation.