Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ते बाणा: समसज्जन्त मुक्तास्ताभ्यां तु भारत

Transliteration

te bāṇāḥ samasajjanta muktās tābhyāṃ tu bhārata

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: Oh Bhārata, las flechas—bien ajustadas y preparadas—fueron entonces disparadas por aquellos dos, mientras la violencia del combate se ceñía en un duelo directo de destreza y determinación.

Word by Word

तेthose

बाणाःarrows

समसज्जन्तwere fixed/attached (together)

मुक्ताःreleased/shot

ताभ्याम्by those two

तुbut/indeed

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)

arrows

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds disciplined action: weapons are not merely hurled, but carefully prepared and then released. In the epic’s ethical frame, this points to kṣatriya conduct—skill, readiness, and deliberate execution—where consequences follow from controlled intent rather than impulsive violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two warriors (implied from context) have readied their arrows and shot them. The line functions as a rapid battlefield transition, marking the start or intensification of a focused exchange of missiles.