Mahabharata 9.13.25 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 25

Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation

Devanagari script

नकुलप्रेषितां शक्ति हेमदण्डां भयावहाम्‌

Transliteration

nakulapreṣitāṃ śaktiṃ hemadaṇḍāṃ bhayāvahām

Translation

संजय बोले—नकुल द्वारा फेंकी गई वह भयंकर शक्ति, जिसका दण्ड स्वर्णमय था…

Word by Word

• नकुलप्रेषिताम्: sent/shot by Nakula
• नकुलप्रेषिताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नकुल-प्रेषित (प्रेष् धातु, क्त)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• शक्तिम्: a spear/javelin (shakti-weapon)
• शक्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• हेमदण्डाम्: having a golden staff/shaft
• हेमदण्डाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम-दण्ड
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• भयावहाम्: terrifying; bringing fear
• भयावहाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय-आवह
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Nakula
• śakti (spear/javelin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral atmosphere of war: even a righteous warrior’s action (hurling a weapon in battle) generates fear and dread. It underscores how violence, though sometimes undertaken as kṣatriya-duty, carries an inherent ethical weight and emotional consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a battlefield moment in which Nakula has hurled a terrifying spear with a golden shaft. The line functions as a vivid setup for the spear’s trajectory and its impending impact in the ongoing combat.