Shloka 11

अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च

Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents

Devanagari script

श्रुतंजयं च विंशत्या चन्द्रदेवं तथाष्टभि: । मित्रदेवं शतेनैव श्रुतसेनं त्रिभि: शरै:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | śrutaṃjayaṃ ca viṃśatyā candradevaṃ tathāṣṭabhiḥ | mitradevaṃ śatenaiva śrutasenaṃ tribhiḥ śaraiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: With twenty arrows he struck Śrutaṃjaya; with eight he struck Candradeva; with a full hundred he struck Mitradeva; and with three arrows he struck Śrutasena. Thus, in the press of battle, the warrior’s measured use of force—varying the number of shafts to each opponent—shows the grim calculus of war, where prowess is displayed through controlled, targeted violence rather than indiscriminate slaughter.

Word by Word

• श्रुतंजयम्: Shrutanjaya (proper name)
• श्रुतंजयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुतंजय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• विंशत्या: with twenty
• विंशत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंशति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• चन्द्रदेवम्: Chandradeva (the Moon-god; proper name)
• चन्द्रदेवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रदेव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• अष्टभिः: with eight
• अष्टभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• मित्रदेवम्: Mitradeva (proper name)
• मित्रदेवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्रदेव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शतेन: with a hundred
• शतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• श्रुतसेनम्: Shrutasena (proper name)
• श्रुतसेनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुतसेन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śrutaṃjaya
• Candradeva
• Mitradeva
• Śrutasena
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the kṣatriya-world’s ethic of controlled combat: strength is shown through precise, proportionate strikes against specific opponents, reflecting discipline amid the chaos of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a rapid sequence of battlefield hits: one fighter (implied from context) pierces four named warriors—Śrutaṃjaya, Candradeva, Mitradeva, and Śrutasena—using different counts of arrows for each.