Shloka 31
Devanagari script
तस्य शल्य: शरं घोरं मुमोचाशीविषोपमम्
Transliteration
tasya śalyaḥ śaraṃ ghoraṃ mumocāśīviṣopamam
Translation
Sañjaya said: Then Śalya loosed at him a dreadful arrow, likened to a venomous serpent—an image that underscores the ruthless intensity of the battlefield, where skill and resolve are turned toward harm rather than restraint.
Word by Word
तस्यof him / his
तस्य:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular
शल्यःShalya
शल्यः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootशल्य
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
शरम्arrow
शरम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootशर
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
घोरम्terrible, dreadful
घोरम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootघोर
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
मुमोचreleased, let fly
मुमोच:
TypeVerb
Rootमुच्
FormPerfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
आशीविषोपमम्like a venomous serpent
आशीविषोपमम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootआशीविष-उपम
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaŚ
ŚalyaA
arrow (śara)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, human agency and martial skill can become instruments of fear and destruction; the serpent-simile emphasizes the ethical gravity of violence and the peril unleashed when conflict escalates beyond restraint.
Sañjaya narrates that Śalya shoots a terrifying arrow at his opponent; the arrow is compared to a venomous snake to convey its deadly speed and lethal intent in the ongoing battle.