Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तांस्तु भल्लैमहावेगैर्दशभिर्दश भारतान्‌

Transliteration

tāṁstu bhallair mahāvegair daśabhir daśa bhāratān

Translation

Sañjaya said: With ten broad-headed arrows of tremendous speed, he struck down ten Bhārata warriors—an image of the battle’s relentless precision, where martial skill is deployed without pause and lives are reduced to numbers in the machinery of war.

Word by Word

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

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

• महावेगैः: with great speed/force
• महावेगैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महावेग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: दशन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• दश: ten
• दश: Karma
• Type: Numeral
• Root: दशन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भारतान्: Bharatas (warriors of the Bharata line)
• भारतान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhāratas
• bhalla arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of dharma in war: martial excellence and resolve can be admirable within kṣatriya-duty, yet the narration also highlights how warfare turns human lives into tally and spectacle, inviting reflection on the cost of righteous conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, a warrior (implied from prior context) uses ten swift, broad-headed arrows to strike ten Bhārata fighters, emphasizing rapid, lethal efficiency in the ongoing combat.