Shloka 17

Devanagari script

द्विरदानां सहस्नरेण द्विसाहसैश्व॒ वाजिभि: । शरवर्षाणि मुज्चन्तो विविधानि महारथा:

Transliteration

dviradānāṁ sahasreṇa dvisāhasaiś ca vājibhiḥ | śaravarṣāṇi muñcanto vividhāni mahārathāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: With a thousand elephants and two thousand horses, the great chariot-warriors kept releasing showers of arrows of many kinds—an overwhelming display of martial power as the battle surged on.

Word by Word

द्विरदानाम्of elephants

सहस्रेणwith a thousand

द्विसाहसैःwith two-thousand (in number)

चand

वाजिभिःwith horses

शरवर्षाणिshowers of arrows

मुञ्चन्तःreleasing, discharging

विविधानिvarious

महारथाःgreat chariot-warriors

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

elephants

horses

arrows

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 underscores the immense scale and intensity of war, highlighting how concentrated power and skill can unleash overwhelming destruction—inviting reflection on the ethical weight of martial force even when exercised by elite warriors.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene where great chariot-warriors, supported by large numbers of elephants and horses, are continuously firing diverse volleys of arrows, intensifying the combat.