Shloka 18

युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्

Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki

Devanagari script

यावत्‌ फाल्गुननाराचा निर्मुक्तोरगसंनिभा:

Transliteration

yāvat phālgunanārācā nirmuktoragasaṁnibhāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Selama anak panah Phālguna (Arjuna)—dilepaskan bertubi-tubi dengan cepat, laksana ular yang terlepas—terus melesat…”

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as; until
• यावत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb (yāvat = as long as / until)

• फाल्गुन-नाराचाः: Arjuna's arrows
• फाल्गुन-नाराचाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन-नाराच
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

• निर्मुक्त-उरग-संनिभाः: like released serpents
• निर्मुक्त-उरग-संनिभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मुक्त-उरग-संनिभ
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Phālguna (Arjuna)
• nārāca (arrows)
• oraga (serpents)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how epic poetry uses vivid simile to convey the moral gravity of war: Arjuna’s skill is undeniable, yet the imagery of ‘freed serpents’ underscores the unleashed, uncontrollable danger that violence releases once set in motion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield action in Droṇa Parva: Arjuna (Phālguna) is discharging arrows in rapid succession, and their swift, deadly flight is compared to serpents that have been let loose.