Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तेषामिषूनथास्त्राणि वेगवान्‌ नतपर्वभि:

Transliteration

teṣām iṣūn athāstrāṇi vegavān nataparvabhiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: With swift force, he met their arrows and weapon-launches, bending (or deflecting) them by means of his own shafts—checking the onrush of their attack in the thick of battle.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• इषून्: arrows
• इषून्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अथ: then/and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अस्त्राणि: weapons (missiles)
• अस्त्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• वेगवान्: swift/impetuous
• वेगवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नतपर्वभिः: with bent-jointed (arrows/shafts)
• नतपर्वभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नतपर्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (iṣu)
• missile-weapons (astra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined martial skill: even amid violent conflict, mastery is shown through control—meeting an assault without panic, neutralizing incoming weapons through trained precision.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior in the Drona Parva battle who, acting with great speed, counters the opponents’ arrows and missile-weapons, bending/deflecting them with his own shafts and thus blunting their attack.