Shloka 12

Devanagari script

गाण्डीवप्रेषिता बाणा मनोडनिलसमा जवे । ननागाश्चवान्‌ विदेहासून्‌ कर्तरिश्न सहस्रश:,गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए बाण मन और वायुके समान वेगशाली होते हैं। वे शत्रुओंके सहस्रों हाथी-घोड़े और मनुष्योंको शरीर और प्राणोंसे शून्य कर देंगे

Transliteration

gāṇḍīvapreṣitā bāṇā manodanilasamā jave | nānāgāś ca vān videhāsūn kartariśn sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “The arrows released from the bow Gāṇḍīva, swift as the mind and the wind, will in countless thousands strip the enemy of body and breath—bringing down elephants, horses, and men alike.” In the grim ethic of battlefield duty, his words frame lethal skill as an instrument of decisive action within war’s harsh necessity.

Word by Word

गाण्डीव-प्रेषिताःshot from (the bow) Gāṇḍīva

बाणाःarrows

मनः-अनिल-समाःequal to mind and wind (in speed)

जवेin speed

निघ्नन्तिthey strike/kill

चand

वान्indeed/also (particle; text uncertain)

विदेह-असून्deprived of life (lifeless)

कर्तरि-श्नin/with cutting (reading uncertain)

सहस्रशःby thousands; in thousands

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Gāṇḍīva (bow)

arrows

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 kṣatriya ethos in the Mahābhārata: in war, decisive force and mastery of weapons are presented as instruments of duty, even though they entail grave destruction. It reflects the tension between ethical responsibility and the brutal necessities of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna declares the overwhelming speed and lethal effectiveness of the arrows he releases from Gāṇḍīva, asserting that they will fell vast numbers of enemy forces—men and war-animals—by depriving them of life.