Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 14
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
Devanagari script
शरानापतत: क्ररानाशीविषविषोपमान्
Transliteration
śarān āpatataḥ krūrān āśīviṣa-viṣopamān
Translation
वैशम्पायन बोले—क्रूर बाण वर्षा की भाँति टूट पड़े, मानो घोर सर्पों के विष के समान।
Word by Word
शरान्arrows
शरान्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootशर
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
आपततःof (one) falling/attacking; of the falling (arrows)
आपततः:
Adhikarana
TypeVerb
Rootआपत् (धातु: पत् उपसर्ग: आ)
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular
क्रूरान्cruel, fierce
क्रूरान्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootक्रूर
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
आशीविषविषोपमान्comparable to the poison of venomous serpents
आशीविषविषोपमान्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootआशीविष-विष-उपम
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
Ś
śara (arrows)Ā
āśīviṣa (deadly serpents)V
viṣa (poison)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a moral metaphor: weapons driven by cruelty are likened to poison—suggesting that violence fueled by harsh intent spreads harm beyond the immediate target and stains the ethical order.
A combat scene is being described: arrows are raining down with terrifying force, and the narrator emphasizes their lethal danger by comparing them to the venom of deadly snakes.