Shloka 28

Devanagari script

स मार्गणगणैद्रौणिर्दिश: प्रच्छाद्य सर्वत:ः

Transliteration

sa mārgaṇagaṇair drauṇir diśaḥ pracchādya sarvataḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman), with volleys of arrows in dense swarms, covered the directions on every side—filling the battlefield with a storm of missiles and pressing the combat toward ruthless intensity rather than restraint.

Word by Word

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

• मार्गणगणैः: with multitudes of arrows
• मार्गणगणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्गणगण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• द्रौणिः: Drauni (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रौणिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौणि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दिशः: the directions
• दिशः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रच्छाद्य: having covered, covering
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-छद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), Non-finite (prior action)

• सर्वतः: on all sides, everywhere
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः
• Form: Adverb

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)
• arrows (mārgaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how unchecked martial prowess can blanket all directions and overwhelm discernment; it implicitly contrasts sheer force with the ethical need for restraint and right intention (dharma) even amid kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Aśvatthāman unleashes such a dense barrage of arrows that the quarters seem covered on every side, signaling a fierce intensification of the battle and the pressure placed upon opponents.