Shloka 24

भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः

Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation

Devanagari script

सच तान्‌ प्रतिविव्याध पठ्चभि: पज्चभि: शरै: । शल्यं विव्याध सप्तत्या पुनश्न दशभि: शरै:

Transliteration

sa ca tān prativivyādha pañcabhiḥ pañcabhiḥ śaraiḥ | śalyaṁ vivyādha saptatyā punaś ca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Lui, à son tour, transperça chacun d’eux de cinq flèches. Puis il frappa Śalya de soixante-dix flèches, et encore de dix autres—répondant coup pour coup selon la loi implacable des représailles sur le champ de bataille.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रतिविव्याध: pierced/struck in return
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, प्रति

• पञ्चभिः: with five
• पञ्चभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: पञ्चन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• पञ्चभिः: with five (each)
• पञ्चभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: पञ्चन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

• शल्यं: Shalya
• शल्यं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विव्याध: pierced
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, वि

• सप्तत्या: with seventy
• सप्तत्या: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: सप्तति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

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

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: दशन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śalya
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse reflects the kṣatriya battlefield ethic: measured yet forceful response to aggression, where prowess and resolve are displayed through disciplined counteraction rather than withdrawal.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a warrior (contextually identified in the accompanying Hindi as Bhīmasena) retaliating by wounding multiple opponents with five arrows each, then concentrating fire on Śalya—first with seventy arrows and then with ten more.