Shloka 29

Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava

Devanagari script

न हि मोघ: शर: कश्चिदासीद्‌ भीष्मस्य संयुगे

Transliteration

na hi moghaḥ śaraḥ kaścid āsīd bhīṣmasya saṁyuge

Translation

Sañjaya said: In that battle, not a single arrow of Bhīṣma’s was ever wasted; each shot found its mark, underscoring his unmatched martial discipline and the grim inevitability of war’s consequences.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• मोघः: vain/fruitless
• मोघः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोघ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शरः: arrow
• शरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कश्चित्: any (one)
• कश्चित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: कश्चित्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आसीत्: was/existed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भीष्मस्य: of Bhishma
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• śara (arrow)
• saṁyuga (battlefield/combat)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of skill in war: Bhīṣma’s unfailing arrows symbolize disciplined, purposeful action—when power is exercised with precision, its results are unavoidable, intensifying the responsibility borne by a warrior.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra on the battlefield events, emphasizing that Bhīṣma’s archery in the Kurukṣetra war was so effective that none of his arrows went in vain.