Shloka 45

शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12

Devanagari script

नानारूपाणि शस्त्राणि विसृजन्तो महारथा:

Transliteration

nānārūpāṇi śastrāṇi visṛjanto mahārathāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: The great chariot-warriors, hurling weapons of many kinds, pressed the battle forward—an image of war’s relentless momentum, where prowess and duty are asserted through disciplined violence rather than personal whim.

Word by Word

• नाना-रूपाणि: of various forms
• नाना-रूपाणि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• शस्त्राणि: weapons
• शस्त्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• विसृजन्तः: hurling / releasing
• विसृजन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: Present (वर्तमान), Plural, Parasmaipada, Masculine, Nominative

• महा-रथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महा-रथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• śastrāṇi (weapons)
• mahārathāḥ (great chariot-warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic: in the kṣatriya sphere, action is expressed through trained skill and adherence to martial duty. It also hints at the impersonal, escalating nature of conflict—many weapons, many forms—where discipline and role-based dharma govern conduct even amid destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that elite chariot-warriors are actively engaging in combat, releasing a variety of weapons. The verse functions as a vivid battlefield snapshot, emphasizing intensity and the presence of top-tier fighters.