Shloka 31

दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra

Devanagari script

प्रतिविन्ध्यस्ततो राजंस्तोमरं हेम भूषितम्‌ । प्रेषयामास संक्रुद्धश्चित्रस्य वधकाड्क्षया,राजन! तब अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरे हुए प्रतिविन्ध्यने चित्रके वधकी इच्छासे उसके ऊपर एक सुवर्णभूषित तोमरका प्रहार किया

Transliteration

prativindhyas tato rājan stomaraṃ hema-bhūṣitam | preṣayāmāsa saṃkruddhaś citrasya vadha-kāṅkṣayā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Prativindhya, O King, burning with fierce anger and longing to slay Citra, hurled at him a spear adorned with gold. The moment shows how, in the heat of battle, wrath and the desire to kill drive warriors to decisive, violent action, tightening the spiral of retaliation that eclipses calmer judgment.

Word by Word

• प्रतिविन्ध्यः: Prativindhya
• प्रतिविन्ध्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिविन्ध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तोमरम्: a javelin/spear
• तोमरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोमर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हेमभूषितम्: adorned with gold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमभूषित (कृदन्त; भूष् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रेषयामास: sent/shot (hurled)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-इष् (धातु) / प्रेषय् (णिजन्त-धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• संक्रुद्धः: enraged
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संक्रुद्ध (कृदन्त; क्रुध् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चित्रस्य: of Chitra
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वधकाङ्क्षया: with the desire to kill
• वधकाङ्क्षया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वधकाङ्क्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Prativindhya
• Citra
• tomara (spear/javelin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (krodha) and the fixation on killing can dominate a warrior’s mind in battle, pushing action toward escalation and retaliation—an ethical warning about passions overpowering discernment even within kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Prativindhya, furious and intent on Citra’s death, throws a gold-ornamented spear (tomara) at Citra during the fighting.