Shloka 29

Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)

Devanagari script

प्रोत्सारितजने तस्मिन्‌ कर्णपाण्डवयो: शरैः । अविध्येतां महात्मानावन्योन्यं शरवृष्टिभि:

Transliteration

protsāritajane tasmin karṇa-pāṇḍavayoḥ śaraiḥ | avidhyetāṃ mahātmānāv anyonyaṃ śaravarṣṭibhiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: When the surrounding people had been driven back from that spot by the arrows of Karṇa and the Pāṇḍava (Nakula), those two great-souled warriors began to strike one another with dense showers of shafts.

Word by Word

• प्रोत्सारितजने: when the people had been driven away
• प्रोत्सारितजने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रोत्सारितजन
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तस्मिन्: in that (place/time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कर्णपाण्डवयोः: of Karna and the Pandava (Nakula)
• कर्णपाण्डवयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण + पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अविध्येताम्: they two struck/pierced
• अविध्येताम्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ध्यै (व्यध्/विध्)
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Dual, Parasmaipada

• महात्मानौ: the two great-souled (heroes)
• महात्मानौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• अन्योन्यम्: each other
• अन्योन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अन्योन्य
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शरवृष्टिभिः: with showers of arrows
• शरवृष्टिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna
• Nakula (as the referenced Pāṇḍava)
• arrows (śara)
• showers of arrows (śaravarṣṭi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣātra-dharma in practice: combatants press their duel directly once others are cleared away, implying an ethic of limiting harm to non-combatants while fulfilling the warrior’s duty with steadfastness.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Karṇa and the Pāṇḍava (Nakula) drive away the surrounding people with their arrows, the two warriors engage each other intensely, wounding one another with continuous volleys of arrows.