Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तत: क्षुरप्राञ्जलिकार्धचन्द्रा नालीकनाराचवराहकर्णा: । गाण्डीवत: प्रादुरासन्‌ सुतीक्ष्णा: सहस्रशो वज़्ञसमानवेगा:

Transliteration

tataḥ kṣuraprāñjalikārdhacandrā nālīkanārācavarāhakarṇāḥ | gāṇḍīvataḥ prādurāsan sutīkṣṇāḥ sahasraśo vajrasamānavegāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors, de l’arc Gāṇḍīva jaillirent—par milliers—des traits au tranchant de rasoir : flèches kṣura, prāñjalika, projectiles en demi-lune (ardhacandra), flèches nālīka et nārāca, et celles dites varāhakarṇa. Toutes, affûtées, fondirent avec une vitesse pareille à la foudre d’Indra.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)

• क्षुरप्राञ्जलिकाः: razor-edged añjalikā arrows
• क्षुरप्राञ्जलिकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुरप्राञ्जलिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अर्धचन्द्राः: half-moon (crescent-headed) arrows
• अर्धचन्द्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्धचन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नालीकनाराचवराहकर्णाः: nālīka-, nārāca-, and varāhakārṇa-type arrows
• नालीकनाराचवराहकर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नालीक-नाराच-वराहकर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• गाण्डीवतः: from (the bow) Gāṇḍīva
• गाण्डीवतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाण्डीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• प्रादुरासन्: appeared, came forth
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सुतीक्ष्णाः: very sharp
• सुतीक्ष्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुतीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सहस्रशः: by thousands, in thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)

• वज्रसमानवेगाः: having speed equal to a thunderbolt
• वज्रसमानवेगाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्र-समान-वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna’s bow)
• vajra (Indra’s thunderbolt)
• kṣura (arrow-type)
• prāñjalika (arrow-type)
• ardhacandra (arrow-type)
• nālīka (arrow-type)
• nārāca (arrow-type)
• varāhakarṇa (arrow-type)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse primarily heightens the ethical atmosphere of the war by emphasizing the immense, almost thunderbolt-like force unleashed through human skill. It implicitly points to the grave responsibility that accompanies prowess: extraordinary capability in battle magnifies consequences, demanding restraint and right intention (dharma) even amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a sudden, massive discharge of many specialized arrow-types from the Gāṇḍīva bow. The imagery stresses quantity, sharpness, and speed—suggesting a decisive escalation in the exchange of missiles on the battlefield.