Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तान्‌ निहत्य शरान्द्रौणिदेश वीरानपोथयत्‌

Transliteration

tān nihatya śarān drauṇideśa vīrān apothayat

Translation

Sañjaya said: Having slain them with his arrows, the son of Droṇa struck down the warriors in that region, crushing their resistance in the press of battle.

Word by Word

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• निहत्य: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), Prior action (having done)

• शरान्: arrows
• शरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• द्रौणिदेशे: in the region/quarter of the son of Droṇa (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रौणिदेशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौणिदेश
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• वीरान्: heroes/warriors
• वीरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अपोथयत्: he struck down / crushed / felled
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-उथ् (पोथयति)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)
• śara (arrows)
• vīrāḥ (warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the relentless, escalating nature of battlefield action: once violence is unleashed, it tends to intensify, and each tactical success carries an ethical residue—death and suffering—that cannot be undone. It invites reflection on the moral weight borne by agents of war even when acting within a warrior’s role.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman) kills opponents with arrows and then proceeds to fell other warriors in that area of the battlefield, indicating a surge of dominance and a rout-like pressure on the opposing side.