Shloka 67

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 94: Sātyaki–Sudarśana Yuddha (सात्यकि–सुदर्शन युद्ध)

Devanagari script

सा ज्वलन्ती महोल्केव तमासाद्य महारथम्‌ | सविस्फुलिज्ञा निर्भिद्य निपषात महीतले,वह बड़ी भारी उल्काके समान प्रज्वलित होती और चिनगारियाँ बिखेरती हुई महारथी अर्जुनके पास जा उनके शरीरको विदीर्ण करके पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ी

Transliteration

sā jvalantī maholkeva tamāsādya mahāratham | savisphuliṅgā nirbhidya nipapāta mahītale ||

Translation

ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಮಹಾ ಉಲ್ಕೆಯಂತೆ ಜ್ವಲಿಸುತ್ತ, ಕಿಡಿಗಳನ್ನು ಚಿಮ್ಮಿಸುತ್ತ ಅದು ಮಹಾರಥಿ ಅರ್ಜುನನ ಬಳಿಗೆ ತಲುಪಿ, ಅವನನ್ನು ಭೇದಿಸಿ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಭೂಮಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಬಿದ್ದಿತು.

Word by Word

साshe/that (female; i.e., the blazing missile/weapon)

ज्वलन्तीblazing, flaming

महाgreat (as a prefix in the compound)

उल्काmeteor, firebrand

इवlike, as

तम्him (that one)

आसाद्यhaving reached/approached

महाgreat (as a prefix in the compound)

रथम्chariot/warrior on a chariot (in 'maharatha')

सwith

विस्फुलिङ्गाsparks (as 'with sparks')

निर्भिद्यhaving pierced, splitting

निपपातfell down

महीon the earth (in the compound)

तलेon the surface/ground

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

meteor-like missile/weapon

earth/ground (mahītala)

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 terrifying impersonality of war: destructive power moves swiftly and indiscriminately, reminding the listener that even the greatest warriors are vulnerable. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a space where dharma is strained—valor and duty persist, yet the cost is bodily ruin and pervasive suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a blazing, spark-scattering missile that reaches Arjuna, pierces him, and then drops to the ground. The simile of a great meteor emphasizes speed, heat, and inevitability, intensifying the scene’s dramatic violence.