Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अथान्यद्‌ धनुरादाय गौतमो रथिनां वर:

Transliteration

athānyad dhanur ādāya gautamo rathināṃ varaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Gautama—foremost among chariot-warriors—took up another bow, ready to continue the fight with renewed resolve and skill amid the pressures of battle.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अन्यत्: another (one)
• अन्यत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• गौतमः: Gautama
• गौतमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथिनाम्: of chariot-warriors
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Gautama
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• chariot-warriors (rathinaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness and competence in the performance of one’s role in crisis: a warrior, even after loss or setback (implied by taking ‘another’ bow), regathers composure and continues his duty with discipline rather than despair.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the Drona Parva battle narration, Sañjaya reports that Gautama, described as the foremost among chariot-fighters, takes up a different bow—suggesting a transition to renewed combat, possibly after a bow was damaged, lost, or set aside.