Shloka 23

Devanagari script

विसृज्य शरवृष्टिं तां दश राजन्‌ महारथा: । परिवार्य महाबाहुं निहन्तुमुपचक्रमु:,राजन! उन दस महारथियोंने वहाँ बाणोंकी वर्षा करके महाबाहु भूरिश्रवाको चारों ओरसे घेरकर उसे मार डालनेकी तैयारी की

Transliteration

visṛjya śaravṛṣṭiṁ tāṁ daśa rājan mahārathāḥ | parivārya mahābāhuṁ nihantum upacakramuḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, after unleashing that shower of arrows, those ten great chariot-warriors surrounded the mighty-armed Bhūriśravas on all sides and set about to slay him.”

Word by Word

विसृज्यhaving discharged/let loose

शर-वृष्टिम्a shower of arrows

ताम्that

दशten

राजन्O king

महा-रथाःgreat chariot-warriors

परिवार्यhaving surrounded

महा-बाहुम्the mighty-armed (one)

निहन्तुम्to slay

उपचक्रमुःthey set about / began

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Bhūriśravas

ten mahārathas

arrows (śara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the escalation of collective violence in war: when many elite warriors coordinate to encircle a single opponent, tactical success can intensify the ethical strain of battle, foreshadowing questions of fairness and dharma that recur throughout the Bhīṣma Parva.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that ten great chariot-warriors first unleash a dense volley of arrows and then surround the mighty Bhūriśravas, preparing to kill him.