Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततो वागमरैरुक्ता ज्यां तस्य धनुषो5च्छिनत्‌ । अथ तत्‌ सहसा राज॑श्कछिन्नज्यं व्यस्फुरद्‌ धनु:,तत्पश्चात्‌ देवताओंद्वारा प्रेरित हुई वाणीने महादेवजीके धनुषकी प्रत्यंचा काट डाली। राजन! सहसा प्रत्यंचा कट जानेपर वह धनुष उछलकर गिर पड़ा

Transliteration

tato vāg amarair uktā jyāṃ tasya dhanuṣo ’cchinat | atha tat sahasā rājan chinnajyaṃ vyasphurad dhanuḥ ||

Translation

ಆಮೇಲೆ ಅಮರರಿಂದ ಪ್ರೇರಿತವಾದ ಅಶರೀರ ವಾಣಿಯು ಅವನ ಧನುಷ್ಯದ ಜ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಕತ್ತರಿಸಿತು. ರಾಜನೇ! ಜ್ಯೆ ಕತ್ತರಿದ ತಕ್ಷಣ ಆ ಧನುಷ್ಯವು ಸಹಸಾ ನಡುಗಿ ಜಿಗಿದು ದೂರ ಸರಿಯಿತು.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

वाक्speech; a voice

अमरैःby the immortals (gods)

उक्ताuttered/spoken (prompted)

ज्याम्bowstring

तस्यof that (one), his/its

धनुषःof the bow

अच्छिनत्cut off

अथthen

तत्that (bow)

सहसाsuddenly, at once

राजन्O king

छिन्नज्याम्having its bowstring cut

व्यस्फुरत्quivered/jerked violently; sprang

धनुःthe bow

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

amarāḥ (gods)

vāk (disembodied voice)

dhanuḥ (bow)

jyā (bowstring)

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 limits of human (or even superhuman) force: when higher moral-cosmic order intervenes, instruments of harm can be neutralized instantly. It suggests that unchecked violence is subject to restraint by dharmic or divine governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

A divinely prompted, disembodied voice cuts the bowstring of a powerful bow. Once unstrung, the bow snaps/jerks and springs away, signaling the sudden disabling of a weapon through divine intervention.