Shloka 45

Devanagari script

शिखण्डी तु ततः क्रुद्ध: सौमदत्तिं विशाम्पते । नवत्या सायकानां तु कम्पयामास भारत,प्रजानाथ! भरतनन्दन! तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए शिखण्डीने नब्बे बाण मारकर सोमदत्तकुमार भूरिश्रवाको कम्पित कर दिया

Transliteration

śikhaṇḍī tu tataḥ kruddhaḥ saumadattiṃ viśāṃpate | navatyā sāyakānāṃ tu kampayāmāsa bhārata prajānātha bharatanandana ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Śikhaṇḍī, inflamed with anger, struck Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), O lord of men. With ninety arrows he made him reel—O Bhārata, O ruler of peoples, O delight of the Bharatas. The scene underscores how wrath, once unleashed in battle, turns combat into a contest of endurance and restraint, where prowess is measured not only by force but by steadiness under assault.

Word by Word

शिखण्डीShikhandi

तुbut/indeed

ततःthen/from there

क्रुद्धःangry

सौमदत्तिम्Somadatta's son (Bhurishravas)

विशाम्of the people/subjects

पतेO lord

नवत्याwith ninety

सायकानाम्of arrows

तुindeed

कम्पयामासmade (him) tremble/shook

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śikhaṇḍī

Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas)

Somadatta

arrows (sāyaka)

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 how anger (krodha) intensifies violence in war, testing a warrior’s steadiness and self-control; ethical reflection arises from seeing how emotions can drive escalation even within the framework of kṣatriya duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī, enraged, shoots ninety arrows at Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), causing him to stagger or tremble on the battlefield.