Shloka 2

Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa

Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory

Devanagari script

स सायकमयैरजललै: सर्वतस्तान्‌ महारथान्‌ | प्राच्छादयदमेयात्मा नीहारेणेव पर्वतान्‌

Transliteration

sa sāyakamayair ajālaiḥ sarvatas tān mahārathān | prācchādayad ameyātmā nīhāreṇeva parvatān |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Endowed with immeasurable inner power, the son of Kuntī spread on every side a net-like mass of arrows and wholly covered those great chariot-warriors—just as mountains are veiled by a bank of mist. The image proclaims disciplined prowess: force wielded with mastery and restraint, not blind rage, to subdue without losing composure.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सायकमयैः: made of arrows
• सायकमयैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सायकमय
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• जालैः: with nets (masses)
• जालैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः

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

• महारथान्: great chariot-warriors
• महारथान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• प्राच्छादयत्: covered, concealed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + छद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अमेयात्मा: of immeasurable might/spirit
• अमेयात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमेयात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नीहारेण: with mist, by fog
• नीहारेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीहार
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• पर्वतान्: mountains
• पर्वतान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Kuntīputra (son of Kuntī)
• mahārathas (great chariot-warriors)
• arrows (sāyaka)
• net (jāla)
• mist/fog (nīhāra)
• mountains (parvata)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power guided by control and skill is portrayed as superior to uncontrolled violence: the hero’s disciplined mastery can overwhelm many opponents efficiently, reflecting kṣatriya-dharma executed with steadiness of mind.

What is happening in the narrative?

The son of Kuntī unleashes a dense, net-like shower of arrows from all directions, effectively blanketing the assembled great chariot-warriors, compared to mountains disappearing under thick mist.