Shloka 22

Devanagari script

ते हन्यमाना: शूरेण प्रवरै: सायकैर्दूढै: । विरुवन्तो महारावान्‌ विनेशु: सर्वतो हता:,शूरवीर अर्जुनके सुदृढ़ एवं श्रेष्ठ सायकोंद्वारा मारे जाते हुए वे समस्त हिंसक पशु सब ओरसे घायल हो घोर चीत्कार करते हुए वहीं नष्ट हो गये

Transliteration

te hanyamānāḥ śūreṇa pravaraiḥ sāyakair dṛḍhaiḥ | viruvanto mahārāvān vineśuḥ sarvato hatāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Struck down by the hero’s firm and excellent arrows, those violent beasts—wounded on every side—cried out with terrible roars and perished there. The scene underscores how, in the fury of war, even fierce life is swiftly extinguished when confronted by superior martial force.

Word by Word

तेthey (those)

हन्यमानाःbeing slain

शूरेणby the hero/brave one

प्रवरैःby excellent/superior

सायकैःby arrows

दृढैःby firm/strong

विरुवन्तःcrying, wailing

महारावान्great roars/cries

विनेशुःperished, were destroyed

सर्वतःon all sides

हताःslain

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

a hero/warrior (implicit)

arrows (sāyaka)

violent beasts/animals (implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the stark consequence of violence in war: when force meets force, life—however fierce—can be ended instantly. Ethically, it points to the grim reality that martial excellence, while a kṣatriya virtue, also brings unavoidable suffering and destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where violent animals/beasts, struck from all sides by a warrior’s strong and superior arrows, roar loudly in pain and then die on the spot.