Shloka 556

द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa

Devanagari script

विधुन्वतश्न चापानि सर्वतः प्रत्यवारयन्‌ | वे अर्जुनको लक्ष्य करके बार-बार गरजते, उन्हें बारंबार बाणोंसे बींधते और धनुषको हिलाते हुए सब ओरसे उन्हें आगे बढ़नेसे रोकने लगे

Transliteration

vidhunvataś ca cāpāni sarvataḥ pratyavārayan |

Translation

Sanjaya dit : Secouant leurs arcs et se pressant de toutes parts, ils arrêtèrent sa progression. Prenant Arjuna pour cible, ils rugissaient sans cesse et le perçaient à répétition de volées de flèches — voulant, par la seule force des armes, briser son élan au cœur d’une guerre juste et pourtant dévastatrice.

Word by Word

• विधुन्वतः: of (him) who is shaking/brandishing
• विधुन्वतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धुन्व् (धुन्व्)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), परस्मैपद-प्रयोग (कर्तरि), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

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

• चापानि: bows
• चापानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाप
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• सर्वतः: from all sides / on all sides
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः

• प्रत्यवारयन्: they warded off / held back / prevented
• प्रत्यवारयन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-अव-√वृ (वारयति)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथम, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• bows (cāpa)
• arrows (bāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya-world ethic of confronting force with force: opponents attempt to stop a righteous warrior’s advance through coordinated pressure. It also underscores how war amplifies intimidation and injury, reminding the listener that even dharma-grounded conflict carries severe human cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Arjuna being surrounded and opposed: the enemy brandishes bows, roars, and repeatedly shoots him with arrows, collectively trying to prevent him from moving forward on the battlefield.