Shloka 43

Devanagari script

अयोमुखैश्न विहगैद्रावयिष्ये महारथान्‌ । परश्वधांश्व निशितानुत्स्रक्ष्येडहमसंशयम्‌,'मैं युद्धमें स्थित होकर अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार पत्थरोंकी वर्षा करूँगा, लोहेकी चोंचवाले पक्षियोंद्वारा बड़े-बड़े महारथियोंको भगा दूँगा तथा शत्रुओंपर तेज धारवाले फरसे भी बरसाऊँगा; इसमें तनिक भी संशय नहीं है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | ayomukhaiś ca vihagair drāvayiṣye mahārathān | paraśvadhāṁś ca niśitān utsrakṣye ’ham asaṁśayam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “I shall stand in the battle and, as I please, unleash a shower of stones. By means of birds with iron beaks I will drive away even the great chariot-warriors, and I will also hurl down keen-edged axes upon the enemy—of this there is no doubt.”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'ayomukha': 'iron-beaked', 'vihaga': 'bird', 'drāvayiṣye': 'I will cause to flee

• I will drive away', 'mahāratha': 'great chariot-warrior

• foremost fighter', 'paraśvadha': 'axe

• battle-axe', 'niśita': 'sharpened

• keen-edged', 'utsrakṣye': 'I will hurl forth

• I will cast down', 'aham': 'I', 'asaṁśayam': 'without doubt

• certainly', 'yuddhe sthitaḥ (implied by context)': 'standing/remaining in battle'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• mahārathas (great chariot-warriors)
• iron-beaked birds
• axes (paraśvadhāḥ)
• stones (implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the escalation of violence and intimidation in war: confidence and vows to overwhelm opponents can become instruments of fear and destruction, underscoring the ethical tension between martial skill and the suffering it inflicts.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker (reported by Sañjaya) declares a battle-intent: to rain stones, deploy iron-beaked birds to scatter great warriors, and cast sharp axes at enemies—an emphatic boast of impending, extraordinary assault.