Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ततो द्रोण: सुपीताभ्यां भल्लाभ्यामरिमर्दन:

Transliteration

tato droṇaḥ supītābhyāṃ bhallābhyām arimardanaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors Droṇa, le broyeur d’ennemis, décocha deux flèches bhalla, bien ajustées et acérées, et porta son coup, poussant le combat en avant d’une force décisive au cœur de l’obscurité morale de la guerre.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from/then')

• द्रोणः: Droṇa
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुपीताभ्याम्: with well-drunk/strong (i.e., well-tempered) (two)
• सुपीताभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुपीत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual (agreeing with भल्लाभ्याम्)

• भल्लाभ्याम्: with two bhalla-arrows
• भल्लाभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• अरिमर्दनः: enemy-crusher (slayer of foes)
• अरिमर्दनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरिमर्दन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (apposition to द्रोणः)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa
• bhalla (arrow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when a warrior acts with mastery and resolve, the Mahābhārata frames such prowess within the larger ethical tragedy of war—skill does not erase the moral weight of violence, and duty (kṣatriya-dharma) operates amid painful consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, described as a formidable foe-subduer, uses two precisely aimed bhalla arrows to strike in battle, indicating a moment of tactical, forceful action within the ongoing combat.