Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ततः स शरवर्षेण पर्जन्य इव वृष्टिमान्‌ । अभ्यवर्षदमेयात्मा क्षत्रियान्‌ क्षत्रियर्षभ:,तत्पश्चात्‌ अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न क्षत्रियशिरोमणि शल्य वर्षा करनेवाले मेघके समान क्षत्रियवीरोंपर बाणोंकी वृष्टि करने लगे

Transliteration

tataḥ sa śaravarṣeṇa parjanya iva vṛṣṭimān | abhyavarṣad ameyātmā kṣatriyān kṣatriyarṣabhaḥ ||

Translation

Sanjaya said: Then that bull among kṣatriyas, of immeasurable spirit, rained down a shower of arrows upon the warriors—like a rain-bearing cloud pouring its downpour. The scene underscores the fierce momentum of battle, where martial excellence and resolve surge forward even as the ethical weight of violence remains implicit in the kṣatriya duty of war.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

शर-वर्षेणwith a shower of arrows

पर्जन्यःa rain-cloud

इवlike, as if

वृष्टिमान्rain-bearing, raining

अभ्यवर्षत्rained upon, showered upon

अमेय-आत्माhe whose self/strength is immeasurable

क्षत्रियान्the warriors (kshatriyas)

क्षत्रिय-ऋषभःthe bull among kshatriyas (best warrior)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

an unnamed foremost kshatriya (kṣatriyarṣabhaḥ)

kṣatriyas (warriors)

arrows (śara)

rain-cloud (parjanya)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ideal of kṣatriya prowess—unyielding courage and effectiveness in battle—while implicitly situating such violence within the framework of kṣatriya-dharma (the warrior’s duty), where action is driven by role-bound obligation rather than personal whim.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes a leading warrior unleashing an intense barrage of arrows on opposing kṣatriyas, compared to a rain-cloud pouring down rain—an image emphasizing overwhelming force and the escalating ferocity of the fight.