Shloka 30

Devanagari script

सा पपात तथा छि्छिन्ना संक्रुद्धेन किरीटिना,अताडयन्‌ रणे भीष्मं सहिता: सर्वसृञज्जया: । समस्त सूंजय वीर एक साथ संगठित हो भयंकर शतघ्नी, परिघ, फरसे, मुद्गर, मुसल, प्रास, गोफन, स्वर्णमय पंखवाले बाण, शक्ति, तोमर, कम्पन, नाराच, वत्सदन्‍्त और भुशुण्डी आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें भीष्मको सब ओरसे पीड़ा देने लगे

Transliteration

sā papāta tathā chinnā saṅkruddhena kirīṭinā | atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṃ sahitāḥ sarva-sṛñjayāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Thus severed, she fell—cut down by the enraged Kirīṭin (Arjuna). Then, all the Sṛñjayas, acting together, struck Bhīṣma on the battlefield from every side, seeking to harass and wear him down with a concentrated assault. The scene underscores the grim ethics of war: even the most venerable warrior becomes a target when the demands of victory override personal reverence, and collective force is marshalled to check an otherwise unstoppable champion.

Word by Word

• {'sā': 'she/that (feminine pronoun

• here referring to the severed object/weapon/standard as per context)', 'papāta': 'fell down', 'tathā': 'thus, in that manner', 'chinnā': 'cut, severed', 'saṅkruddhena': 'by one who is enraged

• in anger', 'kirīṭinā': 'by Kirīṭin, ‘the diademed one’ (Arjuna)', 'atāḍayan': 'they struck, beat, assailed', 'raṇe': 'in battle, on the battlefield', 'bhīṣmam': 'Bhīṣma', 'sahitāḥ': 'together, united, in concert', 'sarva-sṛñjayāḥ': 'all the Sṛñjayas (the Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna (Kirīṭin)
• Bhīṣma
• Sṛñjayas
• battlefield (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tension between reverence and duty in war: even an elder like Bhīṣma is opposed without hesitation when dharma is interpreted as fulfilling one’s role as a warrior and protecting one’s side. It also illustrates how collective action is used to counter overwhelming individual prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that something (described as ‘she/that’) has been cut off by the enraged Arjuna and falls. Immediately after, the Sṛñjayas unite and strike Bhīṣma from all directions in battle, attempting to pressure and weaken him through coordinated assault.