Shloka 32

Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana

Devanagari script

बाणासनादाधिरथे: प्रभवन्ति सम सायका:

Transliteration

bāṇāsanād ādhiratheḥ prabhavanti sama-sāyakāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : De Karṇa, posté sur le siège de l’archer du char, jaillit un flot régulier et ininterrompu de flèches—des traits égaux et bien assortis—signe de l’élan inexorable du combat et de la résolution sombre qui poussait les guerriers en avant.

Word by Word

• बाणासनात्: from the arrow-seat (i.e., bow)
• बाणासनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाणासन
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• अधिरथेः: of the charioteer / of the one on the chariot
• अधिरथेः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिरथ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• प्रभवन्ति: arise / come forth / originate
• प्रभवन्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (प्र + भू)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सम्: together / completely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• सायकाः: arrows
• सायकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna (Ādhiratha)
• arrows (sāyakāḥ)
• bow-seat/chariot position (bāṇāsana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how, in war, skill and resolve manifest as relentless action; it implicitly raises the ethical tension that extraordinary prowess can intensify destruction, reminding readers that power in the service of conflict carries grave moral weight.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Karṇa (called Ādhiratha) unleashing a continuous, uniform volley of arrows from his chariot position, emphasizing the ferocity and sustained pressure of his attack in the ongoing battle.