Mahabharata — Drona Parva, Shloka 6

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda

Arrow-storm Engagement

Devanagari script

पताकाश्व ततस्तास्तु श्वसनेन समीरिता:

Transliteration

patākāśva tatastāstu śvasanena samīritāḥ

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces aquellas banderas y aquellos caballos se pusieron en movimiento, agitados por la fuerza de su aliento: imagen de la inquieta energía del campo de batalla, donde aun los signos del honor marcial (las enseñas) y los instrumentos de la guerra (los corceles) responden al oleaje de vida y esfuerzo en vísperas de la violencia.

Word by Word

• पताकाः: flags, banners
• पताकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पताका
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

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

• ततः: thereupon, from there/then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ताः: those (fem. pl.)
• ताः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• श्वसनेन: by the blowing/breath (i.e., wind)
• श्वसनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वसन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• समीरिताः: set in motion, stirred, driven
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-ईरित
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• patākā (banners/flags)
• aśvāḥ (horses)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war’s intensity permeates everything: breath, movement, and symbols of honor. It invites reflection on the living force driving conflict—courage and exertion on one side, but also the tragic momentum that carries all beings and objects into violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a vivid battlefield moment: banners and horses are seen as moving or fluttering, driven by the horses’ heavy breathing and agitation, conveying the charged atmosphere as armies prepare or engage.