Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ते सेने हन्यमाने तु ताभ्यां दिव्यैर्महाशरै: । शरपातमपाक्रम्य तस्थतुः प्रेक्षिके तदा,उन दोनोंके दिव्य महाबाणोंद्वारा आहत होती हुई दोनों सेनाएँ उस समय उनके बाणोंके गिरनेके स्थानसे दूर हटकर खड़ी हो गयीं और दर्शक बनकर तमाशा देखने लगीं

Transliteration

te sene hanyamāne tu tābhyāṁ divyair mahāśaraiḥ | śarapātam apākramya tasthatuḥ prekṣike tadā ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Tandis que les deux armées étaient frappées par les grandes flèches divines de ces deux guerriers, elles se retirèrent de la zone où pleuvaient les traits. Puis, se tenant à distance, elles ne furent plus que des spectatrices, regardant le duel comme un spectacle.

Word by Word

तेthose two

सेनेthe two armies

हन्यमानेwhile being struck/being slain

तुbut/indeed

ताभ्याम्by those two

दिव्यैःdivine

महाशरैःgreat arrows

शरपातम्the fall/shower of arrows

अपाक्रम्यhaving withdrawn/moved away

तस्थतुःstood

प्रेक्षिकेas spectators (two groups/armies as onlookers)

तदाthen/at that time

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

the two armies (Pāṇḍava and Kaurava forces, implied)

divine great arrows (mahāśara)

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 highlights how overwhelming martial power can momentarily suspend collective combat: when a duel becomes extraordinarily intense, ordinary soldiers retreat for survival and turn into spectators. Ethically, it underscores the tension between kṣatriya duty to fight and the human impulse to step back when destruction becomes indiscriminate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Two principal warriors are exchanging divine, powerful arrows. The surrounding armies, suffering from the arrow-showers, pull away from the impact zone and stand aside, watching the confrontation rather than continuing the broader engagement.