Shloka 29

नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च

Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault

Devanagari script

तामापतन्तीं चिच्छेद शिखण्डी बहुभि: शरै:

Transliteration

tām āpatantīṁ ciccheda śikhaṇḍī bahubhiḥ śaraiḥ

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: Cuando ella se precipitaba sobre él, Śikhaṇḍī la abatió con muchas flechas—imagen del ímpetu implacable del combate, donde la determinación y la destreza convierten al instante una amenaza que arremete en un adversario caído.

Word by Word

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

• आपतन्तीम्: falling/charging (towards)
• आपतन्तीम्: Karma
• Type: Participle
• Root: आपत् (धातु: पत्/आपत्)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular, Present active (शतृ), Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चिच्छेद: cut, severed
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शिखण्डी: Shikhaṇḍī
• शिखण्डी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक: शिखण्डी)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śikhaṇḍī
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh immediacy of dharma in war: on the battlefield, hesitation can be fatal, and a warrior’s trained response meets an incoming assault with decisive action—highlighting how conflict compresses moral life into urgent choices and consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī strikes down an onrushing female opponent (indicated by the feminine pronoun and participle) by showering her with many arrows, stopping her charge.