Shloka 14

Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement

Devanagari script

प्रमुड्चन्तं बाणसंघानमेयान्‌ मर्मच्छिदो वीरहण: सुपत्रान्‌

Transliteration

pramuñcantaṃ bāṇasaṅghān ameyān marma-cchido vīra-haṇaḥ su-patrān

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: «Soltaba inconmensurables andanadas de flechas—astiles bien emplumados—que atravesaban puntos vitales y abatían a los héroes; así, la violencia de la batalla se acrecentaba con una precisión mortífera».

Word by Word

• प्रमुञ्चन्तम्: releasing, discharging
• प्रमुञ्चन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + मुच्
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• बाण-सङ्घान्: masses/volleys of arrows
• बाण-सङ्घान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण + सङ्घ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अमेयान्: immeasurable, countless
• अमेयान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• मर्म-च्छिदः: piercing vital spots
• मर्म-च्छिदः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मर्मन् + छिद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वीर-हणः: slaying heroes
• वीर-हणः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर + हन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सुपत्रान्: well-feathered (arrows)
• सुपत्रान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुपत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (bāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: skill and resolve are praised, yet the means are lethal—arrows aimed at vital points—highlighting how dharma in war can demand disciplined action while still producing profound destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior (implied from context) unleashing countless, well-feathered arrows that strike vital spots and kill heroes, conveying the ferocity and technical deadliness of the ongoing battle.