Shloka 15

Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

ततः पूर्णायतोत्सृष्टे: शरैः शोणितभोजनै: । दुर्योधन द्वादशभिर्माधव: प्रत्यविध्यत,तब मधुवंशी युयुधानने धनुषको पूर्णतः खींचकर छोड़े गये बारह रक्तभोजी बाणोंद्वारा दुर्योधनको घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

tataḥ pūrṇāyatotsṛṣṭaiḥ śaraiḥ śoṇitabhojanaiḥ | duryodhanaṃ dvādaśabhir mādhavaḥ pratyavidhyata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Mādhava, releasing fully drawn arrows—blood-drinking shafts—struck Duryodhana with twelve of them. The scene underscores the grim reciprocity of battle: prowess and resolve are displayed through violence, while the moral weight of war remains inescapable.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)

• पूर्णायत: fully drawn out (i.e., fully stretched)
• पूर्णायत: Apadana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्णायत (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular (as part of ablative compound with उत्सृष्टेः)

• उत्सृष्टेः: from the discharge/letting go (of the bow/arrow)
• उत्सृष्टेः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सृष्टि (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक; √सृज् + उत्, क्तिन्)
• Form: Feminine, Ablative, Singular

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शोणितभोजनैः: blood-feeding (blood-drinking)
• शोणितभोजनैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोणित-भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural (agreeing with शरैः)

• दुर्योधनम्: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन (पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• द्वादशभिः: with twelve
• द्वादशभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural (agreeing with शरैः)

• माधवः: Mādhava (Krishna)
• माधवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रत्यविध्यत्: pierced/struck
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√व्यध् (तुदादि)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Mādhava
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethic of battlefield duty: skill and determination manifest as decisive action, yet the imagery of “blood-drinking” arrows reminds the listener that war, even when framed as kṣatriya-dharma, carries grave moral and human cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a combat moment in which Mādhava releases fully drawn arrows and hits Duryodhana with twelve shafts, indicating a forceful counterstrike and the intensification of the duel-like exchanges within the larger Kurukṣetra war.