Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततो द्रौणिमहाराज शरवर्षेण मारिष

Transliteration

tato drauṇimahārāja śaravarṣeṇa māriṣa

Translation

Sanjaya said: Then, O great king, the son of Droṇa was assailed with a rain of arrows, O revered one—an image of the battle’s relentless escalation, where prowess is met by equal or greater force and the warrior’s resolve is tested amid overwhelming violence.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पञ्चमी-प्रयोगार्थकः)

• द्रौणि: O son of Droṇa (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रौणि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन

• शरवर्षेण: with a shower of arrows
• शरवर्षेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन

• मारिष: O venerable one; O sir
• मारिष: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā)
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: in war, skill and courage are constantly countered by greater force, revealing how quickly violence multiplies and how a warrior’s duty (kṣātra-dharma) is tested under overwhelming pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā) is met with a dense ‘rain’ of arrows—signaling an intense exchange in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence where combatants attempt to suppress or break the opponent through concentrated missile fire.