Shloka 29

Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ

Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements

Devanagari script

तमारोप्य रथोपस्थे मिषतां सर्वधन्विनाम्‌

Transliteration

tam āropya rathopasthe miṣatāṃ sarvadhanvinām

Translation

Sañjaya said: Lifting him up and placing him upon the seat of the chariot—while all the bowmen looked on—(they proceeded), a stark image of the battlefield’s public scrutiny, where honor, duty, and the visible handling of the fallen become part of the war’s moral and psychological contest.

Word by Word

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

• आरोप्य: having mounted/placed (him) up
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-रुह्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• रथोपस्थे: on the seat of the chariot
• रथोपस्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथोपस्थ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• मिषताम्: while (they) were looking on
• Type: Verb
• Root: मिषत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• सर्वधन्विनाम्: of all the bowmen/archers
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वधन्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• chariot (ratha)
• archers/bowmen (dhanvinaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how actions in war occur under collective witness: the treatment of a warrior—especially the fallen or wounded—becomes a public act tied to honor and duty, shaping morale and ethical perception amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Someone is lifted and placed onto the chariot-seat while all the archers watch, indicating a decisive battlefield moment—removal, rescue, or repositioning—performed openly before the assembled fighters.