Shloka 286

Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya-saṃvādaḥ; madhyāhna-saṅgrāma-pravṛttiḥ

Dhritarashtra–Sanjaya dialogue and the midday battle escalation

Devanagari script

शरैरबहुभिराच्छिद्य पातयामास संयुगे । राजन्‌! तदनन्तर क्रोधमें भरे अश्वत्थामाने आधे निमेषमें बहुत-से बाणोंद्वारा शिखण्डीके ध्वज, सारथि, घोड़ों और आयुधोंको रणभूमिमें काट गिराया

Transliteration

śarair bahubhir ācchidya pātayāmāsa saṁyuge | rājan! tad-anantaraṁ krodham-eṁ bhare aśvatthāmāne ardha-nimeṣeṇa bahu-śe bāṇaiḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ dhvajaṁ sārathiṁ ghoḍān āyudhāni ca raṇabhūmau kāṭa girāyā |

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ດ້ວຍລູກສອນຫຼາຍດອກ ລາວຕັດທຳລາຍແລະເຮັດໃຫ້ລົ້ມລົງກາງສະໜາມຮົບ. ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ! ຕໍ່ຈາກນັ້ນທັນທີ ອັດສະວັດຖາມາ ຜູ້ເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍໂກດແຄ້ນ ໃນເວລາເພີງຄື່ງກະພິບຕາ ໄດ້ໃຊ້ລູກສອນຈຳນວນຫຼາຍ ຕັດລົ້ມທຸງລົດ, ສາຣະຖີ, ມ້າ ແລະອາວຸດຂອງ ສິຂັນດິນ ໃນສະໜາມຮົບ».

Word by Word

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बहुभिः: many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आच्छिद्य: having cut off / having severed
• आच्छिद्य: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-छिद्
• Form: Absolutive (ktvā/lyap), Parasmaipada (usage), Non-finite

• पातयामास: caused to fall / felled
• पातयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (caus. पातय-)
• Form: Periphrastic perfect (liṭ, periphrastic: -आमास), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Aśvatthāmā
• Śikhaṇḍin
• arrows (śara/bāṇa)
• banner (dhvaja)
• charioteer (sārathi)
• horses (aśva)
• weapons (āyudha)
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (krodha) rapidly escalates violence in war: wrath sharpens speed and destructiveness, but it also signals loss of restraint—an ethical warning embedded within the battlefield narration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, enraged, swiftly showers arrows and disables Śikhaṇḍin’s chariot-system—bringing down the banner, charioteer, horses, and weapons on the battlefield.