Shloka 27

Devanagari script

ननाद नादं सुमहानुभावो विद्ध्वेव शक्रं नमुचि: स वीर: । फिर महानुभाव कर्णपुत्र वीर वृषसेन युद्धस्थलमें कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनको तुरंत ही एक तीखे बाणसे घायल करके बड़े जोर-जोरसे गर्जना करने लगा। ठीक वैसे ही, जैसे नमुचिने इन्द्रको बींधकर सिंहनाद किया था ।। पुनः स पार्थ वृषसेन उग्रै- बणिरविद्धाद्‌ भुजमूले तु सब्ये

Transliteration

nanāda nādaṃ sumahānubhāvo viddhveva śakraṃ namuciḥ sa vīraḥ | punaḥ sa pārthaṃ vṛṣasena ugraiḥ bāṇair aviddhād bhujamūle tu savye ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The mighty and illustrious hero Vṛṣasena roared with a tremendous cry, as though Namuci, having pierced Indra, had uttered a lion-like shout. Then again, with fierce arrows, he struck Pārtha (Arjuna) at the base of his left arm. The verse underscores the battlefield ethic of proclaiming prowess after a successful strike, while also evoking the older mythic pattern of challengers exulting against even the lord of the gods—an image that heightens the moral tension of pride and martial glory amid righteous war.

Word by Word

• {'nanāda': 'roared, sounded loudly (perfect of √nad)', 'nādam': 'a loud sound, roar, battle-cry', 'sumahānubhāvaḥ': 'one of great might/majesty

• illustrious, powerful', 'viddhvā iva': 'as if having pierced/struck', 'śakram': 'Śakra, Indra (lord of the gods)', 'namuciḥ': 'Namuci (a famed Asura, enemy of Indra)', 'sa vīraḥ': 'that hero', 'punaḥ': 'again, once more', 'pārtham': 'Pārtha, Arjuna (son of Pṛthā/Kuntī)', 'vṛṣasenaḥ': 'Vṛṣasena (son of Karṇa)', 'ugraiḥ': 'fierce, terrible (instrumental plural)', 'bāṇaiḥ': 'with arrows (instrumental plural)', 'aviddhat': 'struck, pierced (aorist of √vyadh)', 'bhujamūle': 'at the root/base of the arm', 'savye': 'on the left (side/arm)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vṛṣasena
• Arjuna (Pārtha)
• Indra (Śakra)
• Namuci
• arrows (bāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield code where prowess is asserted through decisive action and public declaration, while the Namuci–Indra simile warns of the thin line between legitimate martial confidence and hubristic exultation that challenges cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Vṛṣasena, Karṇa’s son, successfully wounds Arjuna with sharp arrows—specifically at the base of Arjuna’s left arm—and then roars loudly in triumph, likened to the Asura Namuci boasting after striking Indra.