Shloka 4

Devanagari script

शस्त्राणामथ तां वृष्टिं शलभानामिवायतिम्‌,!' |! [क्‍ ढ हर 72000 . पा ह थे फ्ओ प है जा] '

Transliteration

śastrāṇām atha tāṁ vṛṣṭiṁ śalabhānām ivāyatim

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces se alzó una lluvia de armas—densa y extendida a lo lejos—como un vasto enjambre de langostas.

Word by Word

• शस्त्राणाम्: of weapons
• शस्त्राणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• ताम्: that (her/that)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• वृष्टिम्: shower/rain (downpour)
• वृष्टिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• शलभानाम्: of locusts/grasshoppers
• शलभानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शलभ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• आयतिम्: approach/advance; onset; coming
• आयतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• weapons (śastra)
• locusts (śalabha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a simile to show how violence escalates: once combat begins, weapons fall in overwhelming numbers, suggesting the ethical danger of war’s momentum—individual intent is quickly overtaken by collective destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates the battle scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing an intense barrage of weapons that spreads widely, compared to a massive swarm of locusts.