Shloka 53

Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam

Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32

Devanagari script

तस्य दीप्तशरौघस्य दीप्तचापधरस्य च

Transliteration

tasya dīptaśaraughasya dīptacāpadharasya ca

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Of him—whose volleys of arrows blazed like fire, and who bore a radiant bow…” (The line sets a vivid martial tone, emphasizing the awe-inspiring, almost elemental force of a warrior whose prowess overwhelms opponents and tests the limits of courage and duty on the battlefield.)

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• दीप्त-शर-ओघस्य: of (one) having a torrent/mass of blazing arrows
• दीप्त-शर-ओघस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप्तशरौघ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दीप्त-चाप-धरस्य: of the bearer of a blazing bow
• दीप्त-चाप-धरस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप्तचापधर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (śara)
• bow (cāpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary power in war can appear almost ‘fiery’ and overwhelming; ethically, it frames the battlefield as a place where steadfastness to one’s duty (dharma) is tested amid fear, spectacle, and lethal skill.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a formidable warrior (implied by context) whose blazing volleys of arrows and radiant bow dominate the scene; this line functions as a descriptive lead-in to the effects of that warrior’s attack.