Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तौ शराग्रविनुन्नाड्ौ निर्भिन्दन्तौ परस्परम्‌

Transliteration

tau śarāgravinuṇṇāḍau nirbhindantau parasparam

Translation

Sañjaya said: Struck and driven on by the sharp points of arrows, the two warriors pierced one another in turn—each meeting the other’s assault with equal ferocity, as the battle’s violence intensified without regard for mercy.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• शराग्रविनुन्नौ: driven/impelled by arrow-points (i.e., struck by sharp arrows)
• शराग्रविनुन्नौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शराग्र-विनुन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• निर्भिन्दन्तौ: they two pierce/split
• निर्भिन्दन्तौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्भिद्
• Form: Present, Third, Dual, Parasmaipada

• परस्परम्: each other / mutually
• परस्परम्: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर
• Form: true

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• two warriors (unnamed in this verse)
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim reciprocity of warfare: violence begets violence, and in the kṣatriya arena of battle, opponents often mirror each other’s intensity. Ethically, it highlights how conflict can escalate into mutual harm when governed solely by martial momentum rather than restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two combatants locked in close contest. Both are struck by arrow-points and, undeterred, they pierce each other repeatedly—depicting an evenly matched duel amid the larger Kurukṣetra war.