Shloka 456

Devanagari script

मया विसृष्टेन सुदर्शनेन वज्नेण शक्रो नमुचेरिवारे: । “तुम मेरे दिये हुए इस सुदर्शनचक्रके द्वारा जिसके नेमिभागमें (किनारे) क्षुर लगे हुए हैं, आज बलपूर्वक शत्रुका मस्तक काट डालो। जैसे इन्द्रने वज्ञके द्वारा अपने शत्रु नमुचिका सिर काट दिया था

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | mayā visṛṣṭena sudarśanena vajreṇa śakro namucer ivāreḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “With the Sudarśana discus that I have hurled—keen-edged along its rim—strike down the enemy by force and sever his head today, just as Indra (Śakra) once cut off the head of his foe Namuci with the thunderbolt (vajra).”

Word by Word

मयाby me

विसृष्टेनreleased/let go (by me)

सुदर्शनेनwith the Sudarśana (discus)

वज्रेणwith the thunderbolt

शक्रःŚakra (Indra)

नमुचेःof Namuci

इवlike/as

अरेःof the enemy

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Sudarśana (discus)

Vajra (thunderbolt)

Śakra/Indra

Namuci

enemy/foe (ari)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In the ethics of epic warfare, decisive action against a hostile aggressor is legitimized by appeal to exemplary precedents (here, Indra’s slaying of Namuci). The verse emphasizes forceful resolution in battle and the rhetorical use of divine analogies to sanction extreme measures.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an exhortation to use a hurled, razor-edged Sudarśana-like weapon to behead an enemy, comparing the intended act to Indra (Śakra) beheading Namuci with the vajra.