Shloka 196

Devanagari script

छादयामास तत्‌ सैन्यं समन्ताद्‌ भरतर्षभ । मान्यवर भरतभूषण महाराज! तत्पश्चात्‌ द्रोणकुमारने अपने बाणोंकी वर्षसि युधिष्ठिरकी उस सेनाको सब ओरसे ढक दिया

Transliteration

chādayāmāsa tat sainyaṃ samantād bharatarṣabha |

Translation

Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, then the son of Droṇa showered arrows and, from every side, covered that army—an image of the battle’s relentless momentum, where martial prowess seeks to overwhelm the opposing force and test the steadiness of kings and warriors amid the strain of dharma in war.

Word by Word

• छादयामास: covered (completely)
• छादयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: छाद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सैन्यम्: army
• सैन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समन्तात्: from all sides / all around
• समन्तात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत्; पञ्चमी-रूपेण अव्ययार्थः

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the address bharatarṣabha)
• Droṇakumāra (Aśvatthāmā, implied by the Hindi gloss)
• Yudhiṣṭhira (from the accompanying gloss)
• army (sainya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma: in war, skill and force are used to overpower the enemy, yet the narrative invites reflection on restraint, responsibility, and the human cost when victory is pursued through overwhelming violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the son of Droṇa unleashes a dense barrage of arrows, surrounding and effectively ‘covering’ the opposing army from every direction, intensifying the pressure on the battlefield.