Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 18
Nahusha’s Challenge to Hunda and the Mustering of Battle
आयोः पुत्रं खलं युद्धे बाणैरेभिः शिलाशितैः । एवं सचिंतयित्वा तु सारथिं वाक्यमब्रवीत्
āyoḥ putraṃ khalaṃ yuddhe bāṇairebhiḥ śilāśitaiḥ | evaṃ saciṃtayitvā tu sārathiṃ vākyamabravīt
“યુદ્ધમાં આ શિલા-અગ્ર બાણોથી હું આયુના દુષ્ટ પુત્રને પ્રહાર કરીશ.” એમ વિચારી તેણે સારથિને કહ્યું.
Unspecified warrior/king (narrative voice reports he spoke to his charioteer)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सचिंतयित्वा = सम् + चिन्तयित्वा (अनुस्वार-परिवर्तन); वाक्यमब्रवीत् = वाक्यम् + अब्रवीत्।
FAQs
The verse identifies the opponent only as “Āyu’s son” (āyoḥ putram) and calls him “wicked” (khalam). Without the surrounding verses of Adhyaya 114, the specific individual cannot be confirmed from this line alone.
Śilāśitaiḥ literally indicates “stone-pointed/stone-tipped,” describing arrows (bāṇaiḥ) fitted or sharpened with stone points—an epithet emphasizing their lethality or rugged construction.
It depicts a warrior deliberating (sacintayitvā) before acting and then issuing instructions to a charioteer—highlighting purposeful action, martial resolve, and the disciplined conduct expected in a battlefield setting.