Shloka 30

Nakula–Śakuni Duel and the Night Battle; Śikhaṇḍin–Kṛpa Engagement (नकुल-शकुनियुद्धं तथा रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

सात्यकि: सौमदत्तिश्व शरवृष्ट्या परस्परम्‌

Transliteration

sātyakiḥ saumadattiś ca śaravṛṣṭyā parasparam

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Sātyaki dan Saumadatti saling berhadapan, menumpahkan hujan anak panah satu sama lain di medan perang.

Word by Word

• सात्यकिः: Sātyaki
• सात्यकिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सौमदत्तिः: Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas)
• सौमदत्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौमदत्ति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शरवृष्ट्या: with a shower of arrows
• शरवृष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• परस्परम्: mutually; each other
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sātyaki
• Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas)
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the reciprocal nature of conflict: in war, aggression is met with counter-aggression. It implicitly points to the ethical weight of kṣatriya combat—valor and duty operate within a cycle of retaliation that intensifies suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki and Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas) are engaged in direct combat, each striking the other with dense volleys of arrows.