Shloka 13

Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption

Devanagari script

शरैरग्निसमस्पर्शैराकर्णसमचोदितै: । स गाढविद्धो व्यथितो रथोपस्थ उपाविशत्‌

Transliteration

śarair agni-samasparśair ākarṇa-sama-coditaiḥ | sa gāḍha-viddho vyathito rathopastha upāviśat ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「火のように灼ける矢を、耳元まで引き絞って全力で放たれ、彼は深く射抜かれて苦痛にうめき、戦車の床へと崩れ落ちて座り込んだ。」

Word by Word

शरैःwith arrows

अग्नि-सम-स्पर्शैःhaving touch like fire (burning-hot)

आकर्ण-सम-चोदितैःimpelled/drawn up to the ear (fully drawn)

सःhe

गाढ-विद्धःdeeply pierced

व्यथितःpained, distressed

रथ-उपस्थेon the seat of the chariot

उपाविशत्sat down

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

arrows (śara)

fire (agni)

chariot (ratha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical gravity of warfare: martial excellence (fully drawn, forcefully released arrows) produces real suffering. It invites reflection on how power and skill, when used in conflict, have immediate human consequences, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between duty in war and the cost of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior being struck by intensely forceful arrows—likened to fire in their burning impact. Severely wounded and shaken, the warrior collapses into a seated position on the chariot’s platform, indicating a momentary loss of strength and control amid the battle.