Shloka 326

Devanagari script

आजलेने बहुभिर्बाणर्जिघांसन्निव भारत । भरतनन्दन! युद्धस्थलमें शिखण्डीको शिथिल हुआ देख शरद्वानके पुत्र कृपाचार्यने उसपर बहुत-से बाणोंका प्रहार किया, मानो वे उसे मार डालना चाहते हों

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | ājalenā bahubhir bāṇair jighāṃsann iva bhārata | bharatanandana yuddhasthale śikhaṇḍinaṃ śithilaṃ dṛṣṭvā śaradvataputraḥ kṛpācāryas tasyopari bahūn bāṇān prāharat, iva taṃ mārayitum icchan |

Translation

Sanjaya said: O Bharata, as if intent on killing him, Kripacharya—the son of Sharadvat—rained many arrows. Seeing Shikhandi weakened on the battlefield, he struck him repeatedly, driven by the ruthless urgency of war where compassion is eclipsed by the aim to disable the foe.

Word by Word

• आजलेने: by/with Ajala (name)
• आजलेने: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आजल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: as if/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: with arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• जिघांसन्: wishing to kill / intending to slay
• जिघांसन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शिखण्डी: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शिथिलम्: slackened/weak
• शिथिलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिथिल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Active

• शरद्वानस्य: of Sharadvat
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद्वत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृपाचार्यः: Kripa, the teacher
• कृपाचार्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपाचार्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्मै: to him (to that one)
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• बहून्: many
• बहून्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• बाणान्: arrows
• बाणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अवधीद्: struck/attacked (lit. slew/beat)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध्
• Form: Aorist (लुङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied by addresses Bhārata/Bharatanandana)
• Shikhandi
• Kripacharya (Kripa)
• Sharadvat
• battlefield
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh logic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma): when an opponent is weakened, warriors may press the advantage decisively. Ethically, it underscores how war compresses moral choice into survival and victory, often overriding gentler impulses.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Kripacharya, son of Sharadvat, sees Shikhandi faltering in the fight and therefore showers him with many arrows, as though determined to kill him.