Shloka 61

Devanagari script

रथिन: सादिनश्चाथ व्यकीर्यन्त सहस्रश: । ततः शान्तनव: क्रुद्ध: शरै:ः संनतपर्वभि:

Transliteration

rathinaḥ sādināś cātha vyakīryanta sahasraśaḥ | tataḥ śāntanavaḥ kruddhaḥ śaraiḥ sannatapārva-bhiḥ ||

Translation

પછી રથીઓ અને અશ્વારોહીઓ હજારોની સંખ્યામાં છૂટા પડી ગયા. ત્યારબાદ શાંતનવ (ભીષ્મ) ક્રોધિત થઈ વળાંકવાળી ગાંઠવાળા બાણોથી પ્રહાર કરવા લાગ્યા.

Word by Word

रथिनःchariot-warriors

सादिनःhorsemen/cavalrymen

चand

अथthen/thereupon

व्यकीर्यन्तwere scattered/dispersed

सहस्रशःby thousands; in thousands

ततःthen; thereafter

शान्तनवःthe son of Śāntanu (Bhīṣma)

क्रुद्धःangry

शरैःwith arrows

संनतपर्वभिःhaving well-bent joints (i.e., well-made)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śāntanava (Bhīṣma)

rathin (chariot-warriors)

sādin (horsemen/cavalry)

śara (arrows)

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 the battlefield reality that disorder and mass scattering can arise suddenly, and that a commander’s response—here Bhīṣma’s controlled yet fierce use of well-crafted arrows—shows how martial discipline and resolve are expected in kṣatriya warfare, even amid anger.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that large numbers of chariot-warriors and cavalry are dispersed. In response, Bhīṣma (Śāntanava), angered, attacks with expertly made arrows, intensifying the fight and attempting to reassert dominance on the field.