Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ते वध्यमानाश्न नरेन्द्रमुख्या निर्भिद्यन्तो भीमशरप्रवेकै:

Transliteration

te vadhyamānāś ca narendramukhyā nirbhidyamānā bhīmaśarapravekaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Even as they were being struck down, those foremost of kings were pierced through by Bhīma’s excellent arrows—an image of the battlefield’s relentless justice, where rank and pride offer no refuge from the consequences of war.

Word by Word

• ते: they/those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वध्यमानाः: being slain/being killed
• वध्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध्यमान (√वध्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नरेन्द्रमुख्याः: chief among kings
• नरेन्द्रमुख्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेन्द्रमुख्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• निर्भिद्यन्तः: being pierced/split
• निर्भिद्यन्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्भिद्यन्त (नि-√भिद्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भीमशरप्रवेकैः: by Bhima's excellent arrows
• भीमशरप्रवेकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमशरप्रवेक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīma
• narendra-mukhyāḥ (foremost kings/royal warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the impartial severity of battle: even the highest-born warriors fall when confronted with superior force and skill. It implicitly reflects kṣatriya-dharma—courage and endurance amid inevitable consequences—while warning that status cannot shield one from the results of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes leading royal warriors on the battlefield being struck down and pierced by Bhīma’s powerful, excellent arrows, emphasizing Bhīma’s effectiveness and the mounting devastation in the Karṇa Parva fighting.