Shloka 303

Devanagari script

अवाकिरद्‌ वृषसेनस्ततस्तं शितै: शरैर्नकुलमुदारवीर्यम्‌ । जैसे बाज मांसके लोभसे पंख फैलाकर सहसा टूट पड़ता है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

avākirad vṛṣasenastatastaṃ śitaiḥ śarairnakulamudāravīryam |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Vṛṣasena showered sharp arrows upon Nakula, that noble and mighty warrior. Like a hawk spreading its wings and suddenly swooping down out of greed for flesh, Vṛṣasena swiftly overwhelmed Nakula on the battlefield with a dense rain of shafts.

Word by Word

• अवाकिरत्: covered, showered (with arrows)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अवाकिर् (अव + आ + किर्)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वृषसेनः: Vrishasena
• वृषसेनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषसेन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शितैः: with sharp
• शितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शित
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

• नकुलम्: Nakula
• नकुलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नकुल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उदारवीर्यम्: of noble valor
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदारवीर्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vṛṣasena
• Nakula
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the intensity of battlefield aggression and uses the hawk metaphor to suggest how desire (lobha) can propel sudden, overpowering violence—inviting reflection on the ethical tension between kṣatriya duty in war and the inner impulses that can distort it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Vṛṣasena launching a rapid, concentrated barrage of sharp arrows that blankets Nakula, portraying a swift and forceful assault in the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle.