Shloka 30
जातरूपमयै: पुड्खै: शरांशक्ष नतपर्वण: । तैलथौतांश्व नाराचान् विमुक्तानिव पन्नगान्,'सुनहरी पाँखोंसे युक्त झुकी हुई गाँठवाले ये बाण तथा तेलमें धोकर साफ किये हुए नाराच धनुषसे छूटकर सर्पोंके समान पड़े हुए हैं, इनपर दृष्टिपात करो
jātarūpamayaiḥ puṅkhaiḥ śarān śakṣa nataparvaṇaḥ | tailadhautāṃś ca nārācān vimuktān iva pannagān | etān paśya (dṛṣṭipātaṃ kuru) ||
Sañjaya said: “Behold these arrows—fitted with golden-hued fletchings and having joints bent down along their knots—and these nārāca shafts, cleansed bright by washing in oil. Released from the bow, they lie strewn like serpents. Look upon them.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it underscores the tangible reality of war—its crafted instruments of harm and their aftermath—inviting the listener to confront consequences directly rather than abstracting violence.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle, points out arrows and heavy nārāca missiles that have been shot and now lie scattered, comparing them to serpents—an image that conveys danger, lethality, and the eerie stillness after release.