Shloka 56

Devanagari script

स वराहध्वजस्तूर्ण गार्धपत्रानजिद्दगान्‌ । क्रुद्धाशीविषसंकाशान्‌ कर्मारपरिमार्जितान्‌

Transliteration

sa varāhadhvajas tūrṇaṃ gārdhrapatrān ajiddagān | kruddhāśīviṣasaṃkāśān karmārāparimārjitān

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the warrior bearing the boar-emblem swiftly loosed arrows feathered with vulture-plumes—unconquered in their flight—terrible like enraged venomous serpents, and keenly honed upon the whetstone.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वराहध्वजः: the one with the boar-banner (Varāhadhvaja)
• वराहध्वजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वराहध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• गार्धपत्रान्: Gārdhapatra (arrows/shafts so named)
• गार्धपत्रान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गार्धपत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अजित्-दगान्: Ajit-daga (arrows/shafts so named)
• अजित्-दगान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजित्दग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• क्रुद्ध-आशीविष-संकाशान्: like enraged venomous serpents
• क्रुद्ध-आशीविष-संकाशान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुद्धाशीविषसंकाश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कर्मार-परिमार्जितान्: polished by a smith (blacksmith)
• कर्मार-परिमार्जितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्मारपरिमार्जित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• varāha-dhvaja (boar-bannered warrior)
• arrows
• vulture feathers (gārdhra-patra)
• venomous serpents (āśīviṣa)
• whetstone (karmāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how disciplined preparation and technical mastery (well-honed arrows) can become instruments of destruction in war; it invites reflection on the ethical burden of power and skill when deployed amid a conflict where dharma is contested.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a boar-bannered warrior rapidly releasing arrows fletched with vulture feathers, portrayed as irresistible and as terrifying as angry venomous snakes, emphasizing the intensity and lethal momentum of the battle.