Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अथान्यैर्बहुभिर्भल्लै: शिरांस्पेषामपातयत्‌ । रोषसंरक्तनेत्राणि संदष्टौष्ठानि भूतले

Transliteration

athānyair bahubhir bhallaiḥ śirāṃs teṣām apātayat | roṣa-saṃrakta-netrāṇi saṃdaṣṭauṣṭhāni bhūtale ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, with many other broad-headed arrows, he struck down their heads, which fell upon the ground—eyes reddened with rage and lips clenched tight. The scene underscores how wrath, once unleashed in war, hardens the heart and reduces living persons to the grim tokens of violence.

Word by Word

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

• अन्यैः: with other (ones)
• अन्यैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• भल्लैः: with arrows (bhalla-shafts)
• भल्लैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शिरांसि: heads
• शिरांसि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• एषाम्: of these (men)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• अपातयत्: caused to fall; felled
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (पतति) / पातयति (णिच्)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative (ṇic)

• रोष-संरक्त-नेत्राणि: having eyes reddened with anger
• रोष-संरक्त-नेत्राणि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रोष + संरक्त + नेत्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• संदष्ट-ओष्ठानि: with lips clenched/bitten
• संदष्ट-ओष्ठानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संदष्ट (सम्+दंश्, क्त) + ओष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• भूतले: on the ground
• भूतले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• भल्ल (bhalla arrows)
• शिरस् (heads)
• भूतल (the ground/earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dehumanizing force of uncontrolled wrath in warfare: rage manifests physically (reddened eyes, clenched lips) and culminates in brutal outcomes. It implicitly warns that anger, once dominant, eclipses discernment and compassion even amid duty-bound combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior (contextually, the combatant being narrated) using many bhalla-arrows to cut down opponents so that their heads fall to the earth, depicted with vivid signs of fury—red eyes and tightly clenched lips.