Shloka 36

भीष्म–रामजामदग्न्ययुद्धप्रस्थानवर्णनम्

Bhishma’s Account of Parashurama’s Challenge and the March to Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

अयुतान्यथ खर्वाणि निखर्वाणि च कौरव । राम: शराणां संक्रुद्धो मयि तूर्ण न्‍्यपातयत्‌

Transliteration

ayutāny atha kharvāṇi nikharvāṇi ca kaurava | rāmaḥ śarāṇāṃ saṃkruddho mayi tūrṇaṃ nyapātayat ||

Translation

ಓ ಕೌರವ! ಆಗ ಕ್ರೋಧದಿಂದ ಉರಿದ ರಾಮ (ಪರಶುರಾಮ)ನು ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಕ್ಷಿಪ್ರವಾಗಿ ಅಸಂಖ್ಯ ಬಾಣಗಳನ್ನು ಸುರಿಸಿದನು—ಅಯುತಗಳಿಂದ ಖರ್ವ-ನಿಖರ್ವಗಳವರೆಗೆ—ಕೇವಲ ಬಲದಿಂದ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಮಣಿಸಲು ಯತ್ನಿಸಿದಂತೆ.

Word by Word

अयुतानिten-thousands (in number)

अथthen/and

खर्वाणिkharvas (a large number-name)

निखर्वाणिnikharvas (a larger number-name)

चand

कौरवO Kaurava (descendant of Kuru)

रामःRama (Parashurama)

शराणाम्of arrows

संक्रुद्धःenraged, highly angered

मयिon/at me

तूर्णम्swiftly

अपातयत्caused to fall/shot down; hurled

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Kaurava (addressee)

Rāma (Paraśurāma)

arrows (śara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger in conflict expresses itself as overwhelming force, while the narrative context underscores steadfastness and resilience amid extreme aggression—qualities expected in a kṣatriya confrontation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma recounts to a Kaurava how Paraśurāma (Rāma), furious in their encounter, rapidly unleashed an immense shower of arrows upon him, emphasizing the intensity and scale of the assault.