Shloka 56

Devanagari script

ततो द्रौणि: प्रहस्यैनं द्रवन्तमभिभाष्य च । अवाकिर्त प्रदीप्ताग्रै: शरैस्तैरभिमन्त्रितै:,तब अअभ्रवत्थामाने धावा करनेवाले भीमसेनसे हँसकर बात की और उनपर नारायणास्त्रसे अभिमन्त्रित प्रज्वलित अग्रभागवाले बाणोंकी झड़ी लगा दी

Transliteration

tato drauṇiḥ prahasyainaṃ dravantaṃ abhibhāṣya ca | avākirat pradīptāgraiḥ śaraiḥ tair abhimantritaiḥ ||

Translation

Alors Droṇi (Aśvatthāmā), en riant, l’interpella tandis qu’il accourait, puis le couvrit d’une grêle de flèches consacrées aux pointes flamboyantes—des traits investis par la puissance du Nārāyaṇāstra.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

द्रौणिःDrona's son (Ashvatthaman)

प्रहस्यhaving laughed

एनम्him (this person)

द्रवन्तम्running, fleeing

अभिभाष्यhaving addressed/spoken to

चand

अवाकिरत्showered, rained down (upon)

प्रदीप्ताग्रैःwith blazing-pointed

शरैःwith arrows

तैःwith those

अभिमन्त्रितैःconsecrated/enchanted (by mantra)

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā)

Nārāyaṇāstra

arrows (śara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension of warfare: when mantra-empowered divine weapons are deployed, their overwhelming force demands heightened restraint and discernment, since victory pursued without limits can quickly become adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) laughs and speaks to his opponent as he moves, then unleashes a rain of blazing, mantra-consecrated arrows—identified in the surrounding context as empowered by the Nārāyaṇāstra.