Shloka 40

Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)

Devanagari script

अथैनं पज्चभि: पश्चात्‌ प्रत्यविध्यत्‌ स्तनान्तरे | सो<पयातो रणं हित्वा पार्थबाणप्रपीडित:,तत्पश्चात्‌ उसकी छातीमें भी पाँच बाण मारे। पार्थके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित हो दुःशासन युद्ध छोड़कर भाग गया

Transliteration

athainaṃ pañcabhiḥ paścāt pratyavidhyat stanāntare | so 'payāto raṇaṃ hitvā pārthabāṇaprapīḍitaḥ ||

Translation

Then Arjuna struck him again from behind with five arrows in the region of the chest. Tormented by the shafts of Pārtha, Duḥśāsana abandoned the fight and withdrew from the battlefield.

Word by Word

अथthen

एनम्him

पञ्चभिःwith five (arrows)

पश्चात्afterwards / from behind

प्रत्यविध्यत्pierced / struck

स्तनान्तरेin the space between the breasts (on the chest)

सःhe

अपयातःhaving retreated / gone away

रणम्battle

हित्वाhaving abandoned

पार्थबाणप्रपीडितःseverely afflicted by Arjuna's arrows

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pārtha (Arjuna)

Duryodhana's brother (implied target; identified in the Hindi gloss as Duḥśāsana)

bāṇa (arrows)

raṇa (battlefield)

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?

The verse highlights a practical ethical dimension of warfare: when one is decisively overpowered, persistence may turn into futile self-destruction, and retreat becomes the immediate consequence of being subdued. It also underscores the karmic/narrative logic that aggressive wrongdoing can meet swift reversal on the battlefield.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna (Pārtha) shoots the opponent from behind with five arrows in the chest area. Wounded and distressed by Arjuna’s arrows, the opponent abandons the fight and retreats from the battlefield.