Shloka 38

Devanagari script

अथ पूर्णायतोत्सृष्टे: शरैराशीविषोपमै:

Transliteration

atha pūrṇāyatotsṛṣṭeḥ śarair āśīviṣopamaiḥ

Translation

Sanjaya said: Then, with arrows shot from fully drawn bows—arrows like venomous serpents in their deadly force—the battle’s violence surged, as each discharge carried the intent to wound and overwhelm.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• पूर्णायते: fills, becomes full
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर्णाय (धातु: पूर्णाय्)
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3rd, singular, Parasmaipada

• उत्सृष्टेः: of the discharge/letting loose
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सृष्टि
• Form: feminine, genitive, singular

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• आशीविषोपमैः: like venomous serpents
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आशीविषोपम
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• arrows (śara)
• venomous serpents (āśīviṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity of warfare by portraying arrows as venomous serpents—highlighting how skill and power, when used in battle, become instruments of lethal consequence and demand moral reflection on intent and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes an intensification of combat: warriors release arrows from fully drawn bows, and the missiles are depicted as serpent-like in their deadly potency, conveying the ferocity and peril of the moment.