Shloka 276

Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ

The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges

Devanagari script

सृजन्‌ बाणमयं वर्ष प्रायाच्छल्यरथं प्रति । विशाल रथसेनाके द्वारा सब ओरसे घिरकर बाणोंकी वर्षा करते हुए उसने शल्यके रथपर आक्रमण किया

Transliteration

sajan b1amaya vara pr1y1c chalya-ratha prati | vib1la-ratha-sen1ke dv1r1 saba orase ghirakara b1o k
2b vara karate hue usane balya-ke ratha-par 1kramaa kiy1 |

Translation

Sanjaya said: Pouring forth a rain of arrows, and surrounded on all sides by a vast chariot-host, he pressed his attack against Shalyafs chariot, showering it with shafts from every direction. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where courage and tactical pressure are displayed amid the moral weight of kin-slaying war.

Word by Word

• सृजन्: while releasing/creating
• सृजन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), परस्मैपदी/कर्तरि, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बाणमयम्: made of arrows; consisting of arrows
• बाणमयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाणमय
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वर्षम्: a shower/rain (of arrows)
• वर्षम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रायात्: went forth/advanced
• प्रायात्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या
• Form: लुङ् (अorist), past (aorist), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• शल्यरथम्: Shalya's chariot
• शल्यरथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्यरथ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रति: towards/against
• प्रति: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Shalya
• chariot (ratha)
• arrows (b1a)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Kshatriya ethos of steadfastness and tactical resolve in battle, while implicitly reminding the listener that martial excellence unfolds within the larger ethical tension of the Kurukshetra war, where duty and destruction coexist.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes a warrior advancing on Shalyafs chariot, unleashing a dense shower of arrows and pressing the attack amid a large surrounding chariot-force, emphasizing encirclement and sustained missile assault.