Shloka 32

Devanagari script

स भीमसेनं दशभि: शरैरविव्याध पाण्डवम्‌

Transliteration

sa bhīmasenaṃ daśabhiḥ śarair avivyādha pāṇḍavam

Translation

Sañjaya said: He then struck Bhīmasena, the Pāṇḍava, piercing him with ten arrows—an image of the battle’s relentless escalation, where prowess is measured in restraint and resolve amid violence.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भीमसेनम्: Bhimasena (Bhima)
• भीमसेनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Karana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: दशन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अविव्याध: pierced, struck
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पाण्डवम्: the Pandava (son of Pandu)
• पाण्डवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Pāṇḍava

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the kṣatriya world of the epic: duty-bound confrontation where endurance and steadiness under attack become moral tests, even as violence intensifies.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, an unnamed warrior strikes Bhīma with ten arrows, indicating a direct exchange of missile-weapons and the mounting pressure of the fight.