Shloka 123

Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana

Devanagari script

विदार्य देहान्‌ नाराचैर्नरवारणवाजिनाम्‌

Transliteration

vidārya dehān nārācair naravāraṇavājinām

Translation

Sañjaya said: With sharp nārāca arrows, he tore open the bodies of men, elephants, and horses—an image of the battle’s ruthless momentum, where martial skill becomes a force that indiscriminately shatters living beings and tests the limits of dharma amid slaughter.

Word by Word

• विदार्य: having torn asunder
• Type: Verb
• Root: विदॄ (वि + दॄ)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• देहान्: bodies
• देहान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• नाराचैः: with iron arrows
• नाराचैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाराच
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• नर-वारण-वाजिनाम्: of men, elephants, and horses
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + वारण + वाजिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• nārāca (arrow/weapon)
• men (warriors)
• elephants
• horses

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of war: even when framed as kṣatriya duty, combat unleashes indiscriminate destruction across humans and animals, pressing the listener to reflect on the cost of victory and the fragility of dharma in violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior’s devastating archery: using nārāca arrows, he rends the bodies of enemy fighters and their mounts—men, elephants, and horses—conveying the intensity and carnage of the battlefield.