Shloka 28

अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च

Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents

Devanagari script

तत: शरसहस््राणि प्रादुरासन्‌ विशाम्पते

Transliteration

tataḥ śara-sahasrāṇi prādurāsan viśāmpate

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Then, O lord of the people, thousands of arrows suddenly appeared, filling the battlefield as the clash intensified—a stark sign of how swiftly human resolve turns into overwhelming violence in war.”

Word by Word

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

• शर-सहस्राणि: thousands of arrows
• शर-सहस्राणि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) / शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• प्रादुरासन्: appeared; became manifest
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• विशाम्पते: O lord of the people
• विशाम्पते: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by viśāmpate)
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the sudden, multiplying momentum of warfare: once conflict is unleashed, violence proliferates beyond easy restraint, reminding the listener of the grave ethical weight carried by those who choose battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at that moment in the battle, countless arrows appeared—indicating an intense exchange of missiles and a rapid escalation in the fighting.