Shloka 33

Devanagari script

शेषास्तु च्छिन्नधन्वानं शरवर्षरवाकिरन्‌ । त्वरमाणास्त्वराकाले विरथं षण्महारथा:

Transliteration

śeṣās tu cchinnadhanvānaṃ śaravarṣa-ravākiran | tvaramāṇās tvarākāle virathaṃ ṣaṇmahārathāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The remaining great chariot-warriors, seeing him with his bow cut down, swiftly—at that urgent moment—poured upon the now chariotless fighter a roaring rain of arrows. The scene underscores the ruthless momentum of battle: once a warrior is disarmed and deprived of his chariot, the opposing side presses the advantage without pause, revealing how quickly martial ethics can be strained amid the drive for victory.

Word by Word

• शेषाः: the remaining (ones)
• शेषाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• च्छिन्नधन्वानम्: him whose bow was cut off
• च्छिन्नधन्वानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: च्छिन्नधन्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शरवर्षरवाकिरन्: they showered (him) with the roar of a rain of arrows
• Type: Verb
• Root: शरवर्षरवाकिर्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• त्वरमाणाः: hastening
• त्वरमाणाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्वर्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Śatṛ (present active participle)

• त्वराकाले: at the time of haste
• त्वराकाले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वराकाल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• विरथम्: without a chariot; chariotless
• विरथम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• षण्महारथाः: the six great chariot-warriors
• षण्महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: षण्महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• six mahārathas (unnamed)
• a disarmed warrior (bow cut)
• arrows
• chariot (as the lost support, implied by viratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, advantage is seized instantly when an opponent is disarmed; it invites reflection on the tension between the drive to win and the ideals of fair combat (kṣatriya-dharma) when a warrior becomes vulnerable.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a fighter’s bow is cut, six great chariot-warriors rush in and bombard the now chariotless opponent with a loud, dense shower of arrows, as narrated by Sañjaya.