Shloka 62

Devanagari script

अश्वांश्व चतुरो भल्‍लैरनयदू यमसादनम्‌

Transliteration

aśvāṃś ca caturo bhallair anayad yamasādanam

Translation

Sañjaya said: With sharp arrows (bhallas), he sent the four horses to Yama’s abode—an image of swift, decisive killing amid the relentless ethics of battlefield necessity.

Word by Word

• अश्वान्: horses
• अश्वान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भल्लैः: with arrows/darts (bhallas)
• भल्लैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अनयत्: led/sent
• अनयत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• यमसादनम्: to the abode of Yama (death)
• यमसादनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमसादन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• aśvāḥ (horses)
• bhalla (arrow)
• Yama
• Yamasādana (abode of Yama)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim immediacy of war: skill and force can end life in an instant, reminding the listener of mortality and the heavy moral weight carried by warriors acting within kṣatriya-duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, a combatant strikes down the four horses of a chariot with bhalla-arrows, effectively sending them to death (Yama’s abode) and crippling the opponent’s mobility.