Shloka 6

भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः

Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas

Devanagari script

तौच तं प्रत्यविध्येतां त्रिभिस्त्रिभिरजिह्मागै:

Transliteration

tau ca taṃ pratyavidhyetāṃ tribhis tribhir ajihmagaiḥ

Translation

Sanjaya said: Then the two of them struck back at him, each with three arrows that flew straight and true—an image of disciplined martial skill amid the relentless ethics of battlefield duty.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

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

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रत्यविध्येताम्: they two pierced/struck (him) in return
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + व्यध् (प्र + प्रति + अव)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Dual, Parasmaipada

• त्रिभिः: with three (arrows)
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral/Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• त्रिभिः: with three (arrows)
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral/Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अजिह्मागैः: with straight-going (unerring) ones (arrows)
• अजिह्मागैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अजिह्मग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• two warriors (unnamed in this verse)
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya discipline: retaliation is not portrayed as rage but as trained, precise action—suggesting that even in war, conduct is shaped by skill, restraint, and role-based duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Two fighters respond to an opponent by shooting him in return, each releasing three straight-flying arrows, indicating a coordinated counterattack and the intensity of the ongoing battle.