Shloka 396

Devanagari script

पतन्त्यविरला: शूला: शतघ्न्य: पट्टिशास्तथा । लोहेके चक्र, भुशुण्डी, शक्ति, तोमर, शूल, शतघ्नी और पट्टिश आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी अविरल धाराएँ गिर रही थीं

Transliteration

patanty aviralāḥ śūlāḥ śataghnyaḥ paṭṭiśās tathā |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Sans relâche, des armes lourdes pleuvaient—lances, śataghnīs et paṭṭiśas—si bien que le champ de bataille semblait recouvert d’une pluie de fer inexorable, redoublant l’effroi et le poids moral de la guerre.

Word by Word

पतन्तिfall (are falling)

अविरलाःunbroken, continuous

शूलाःspears, pikes

शतघ्न्यःsataghnis (missile/weapon, lit. 'hundred-slayer')

पट्टिशाःbattle-axes / hatchets

तथाand also, likewise

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

śūla (spear)

śataghnī

paṭṭiśa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim reality of war: when violence becomes continuous and indiscriminate, it magnifies fear and suffering, reminding the listener that even ‘duty-bound’ warfare carries heavy ethical and human costs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battle at its fiercest moment, where a constant barrage of weapons—spears, śataghnīs, and axes—falls upon the combatants, conveying the intensity and chaos of the fighting.