Shloka 316

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

Devanagari script

नाराचेन सुमुक्तेन निजघान पिता तव । आपके ताऊ भीष्म अच्छी तरहसे छोड़े हुए एक ही नाराचके द्वारा एक जगह बैठे हुए दो-तीन हाथी-सवारोंको कवच धारण किये होनेपर भी छेद डालते थे

Transliteration

nārācena sumuktena nijaghāna pitā tava |

Translation

Sañjaya said: With a well-released nārāca arrow, your father struck down (his foe). The passage underscores the grim efficiency of battlefield skill—how a single, expertly loosed missile can pierce even armored warriors—highlighting the ethical tension of war: prowess and duty on one side, and the heavy cost in lives on the other.

Word by Word

• नाराचेन: with an iron arrow (nārāca)
• नाराचेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाराच
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सुमुक्तेन: well-released/skillfully discharged
• सुमुक्तेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमुक्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• निजघान: struck down/slew
• निजघान: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')
• pitā (your father; context-dependent)
• nārāca (weapon/arrow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the power of disciplined skill in war—one well-aimed act can decide life and death—while implicitly reminding the listener of the moral weight carried by warriors performing their duty amid destructive conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a combatant described as 'your father' struck down an opponent using a single, expertly loosed nārāca arrow, emphasizing decisive battlefield action.