Shloka 28

Devanagari script

संछिन्दन्तौ च गात्राणि संदधानौ च सायकान्‌

Transliteration

saṃchindantau ca gātrāṇi saṃdadhānau ca sāyakān

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Ils se tranchaient mutuellement les membres, puis, de nouveau, ajustaient les flèches à l’arc.» Ce vers saisit le rythme sinistre de la bataille—blessure infligée sans répit, et aussitôt la promptitude à frapper encore—montrant comment, dans la guerre, l’adresse et la résolution peuvent devenir les instruments d’une violence sans relâche, et contraignant l’auditeur à méditer le prix moral d’une telle agressivité ininterrompue.

Word by Word

• संछिन्दन्तौ: cutting asunder
• संछिन्दन्तौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + छिद्
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम, द्विवचन, कर्तरि

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

• गात्राणि: limbs, bodies
• गात्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• संदधानौ: placing, fixing, fitting (on)
• संदधानौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + धा
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम, द्विवचन, कर्तरि

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

• सायकान्: arrows
• सायकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• limbs (gātrāṇi)
• arrows (sāyakāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the relentless momentum of warfare: harm is inflicted and immediately followed by renewed preparation to harm again. Ethically, it invites reflection on how duty and martial prowess, when absorbed into battle-fury, can normalize continuous violence and eclipse compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a close, intense fight between two warriors (implied by the dual forms): they are cutting off limbs and repeatedly setting arrows to shoot again, indicating sustained, ferocious combat without respite.