Shloka 21

Devanagari script

उसने शिखण्डीको बारह, उत्तमौजाको छ:, युधामन्युको तीन तथा जनमेजय और धष्टद्युम्नको भी तीन-तीन पैने बाणोंसे अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca — sa śikhaṇḍinaṃ dvādaśabhiḥ, uttamaujasaṃ ṣaḍbhiḥ, yudhāmanyum tribhiḥ, janamejayaṃ ca dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ ca tribhis-tribhiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ śaraiḥ paramam āhatya atīva vyathitān akarot |

Translation

Sañjaya said: He struck Śikhaṇḍin with twelve sharp arrows, Uttamaujā with six, and Yudhāmanyu with three; and he also pierced Janamejaya and Dhṛṣṭadyumna with three arrows each, grievously wounding them.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शिखण्डिनम्: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डिनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• द्वादशभिः: with twelve
• द्वादशभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: द्वादशन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• उत्तमौजसम्: Uttamaujas
• उत्तमौजसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तमौजस्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• षड्भिः: with six
• षड्भिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: षष्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• युधामन्युम्: Yudhamanyu
• युधामन्युम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधामन्यु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• तथा: and/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• जनमेजयम्: Janamejaya
• जनमेजयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनमेजय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• धृष्टद्युम्नम्: Dhrishtadyumna
• धृष्टद्युम्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टद्युम्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• त्रिभिः: with three (each)
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• तीक्ष्णैः: sharp
• तीक्ष्णैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अत्यन्तम्: exceedingly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यन्त

• घायलम्: wounded
• घायलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घायल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चकार: made/did (wounded)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śikhaṇḍin
• Uttamaujā
• Yudhāmanyu
• Janamejaya
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya-duty in war: skill and resolve manifest as precise, repeated strikes, yet the ethical weight remains—heroism and suffering coexist, and victory is pursued through actions that inevitably cause pain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a warrior (contextually, the opposing archer in this battle sequence) shoots multiple named Pāṇḍava-side fighters—Śikhaṇḍin, Uttamaujā, Yudhāmanyu, Janamejaya, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna—wounding them severely with a specified count of sharp arrows.