Shloka 42

Devanagari script

सात्यकिं च त्रिसप्तत्या पीडयामास वेगित: । स्वर्णपुड्खै: शिलाधौतैराकर्णापूर्णनि:सृतै:

Transliteration

sātyakiṃ ca trisaptatyā pīḍayāmāsa vegitaḥ | svarṇapuḍkhaiḥ śilādhautair ākarṇāpūrṇaniḥsṛtaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, with swift force, he pressed hard upon Sātyaki by shooting seventy-three arrows—gold-fletched, stone-polished, and released from a bow drawn back to the ear.

Word by Word

• सात्यकिम्: Sātyaki (as object)
• सात्यकिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• त्रिसप्तत्या: with seventy-three (arrows)
• त्रिसप्तत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिसप्तति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• पीडयामास: tormented/pressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: पीड्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), 3rd, Singular

• वेगितः: swift/impetuous
• वेगितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेगित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वर्णपुड्खैः: with golden-feathered (arrows)
• स्वर्णपुड्खैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्णपुड्ख
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शिलाधौतैः: stone-polished
• शिलाधौतैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिलाधौत
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आकर्णापूर्णनिःसृतैः: shot forth with the bow drawn to the ear (full-drawn)
• आकर्णापूर्णनिःसृतैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकर्णापूर्णनिःसृत
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sātyaki (Yuyudhāna)
• arrows (gold-fletched, polished)
• bow (drawn to the ear)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ferocity and precision of kṣatriya warfare—speed, discipline, and technical mastery—while, in the Mahābhārata’s broader frame, reminding the reader that even expertly executed violence carries moral gravity within the ongoing debate about dharma in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied from context) attacks Sātyaki by showering him with seventy-three arrows, described in vivid technical detail: gold-fletched, polished, and released from a fully drawn bow, indicating a sustained and forceful assault.