Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अस्त्राण्यस्त्रैर्यदा तस्य विधिवद्धन्ति पाण्डव:

Transliteration

astrāṇy astrair yadā tasya vidhivad dhanti pāṇḍavāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : « Lorsque les Pāṇḍava, selon les règles et comme il se doit, opposent à ses traits leurs propres armes… »

Word by Word

• अस्त्राणि: weapons/missiles
• अस्त्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• अस्त्रैः: with weapons/missiles
• अस्त्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• यदा: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• तस्य: of him/of that (one)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• विधिवत्: according to rule, duly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत्

• हन्ति: they strike/kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Plural

• पाण्डवाः: the Pandavas
• पाण्डवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• astrāṇi (weapons/missiles)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid war, action is expected to follow vidhivat—rule, discipline, and accepted codes—showing that skill and restraint are integral to kṣatriya conduct, not mere violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battle moment where the Pāṇḍavas respond to an opponent’s weaponry by meeting missiles with missiles, countering them in a technically correct and orderly way.