Shloka 20

भीमसेन-धृष्टद्युम्नयोर्वाक्यं

Bhīmasena and Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Speeches on Kṣātra-Dharma

Devanagari script

तत: शरशतैस्ती&णैर्मर्म भेदिभिराशुगै:

Transliteration

tataḥ śaraśataiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ marma-bhedibhir āśugaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, with hundreds of sharp, swift arrows—piercing the vital points—he struck, intensifying the violence of the battle.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पञ्चमी-अर्थे: 'from/thereafter')

• शरशतैः: with hundreds of arrows
• शरशतैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरशत (शर + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• तीक्ष्णैः: sharp
• तीक्ष्णैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (शरशतैः इति विशेषणम्)

• मर्मभेदिभिः: piercing the vital spots
• मर्मभेदिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मर्मभेदिन् (मर्म + भेदिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (शरशतैः इत्यादीनां विशेषणम्)

• आशुगैः: swift
• आशुगैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आशुग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (शरशतैः इत्यादीनां विशेषणम्)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (śara)
• vital points (marma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the harsh ethical tension of dharma in war: martial excellence and determination, when directed toward harming an opponent’s vital points, reveal both the necessity and the moral cost of battlefield duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant launching a concentrated volley—hundreds of sharp, swift arrows—aimed to pierce vital spots, indicating an escalation and a decisive attempt to incapacitate the enemy.