Shloka 67

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः

Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma

Devanagari script

वर्षता शरवर्षाणि संयुगे वैशसं कृतम्‌

Transliteration

varṣatā śaravarṣāṇi saṃyuge vaiśaṃsaṃ kṛtam

Translation

യുദ്ധത്തിൽ അമ്പുകളുടെ മഴ പെയ്തുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കെ, ആ ഘോരസംഘർഷത്തിന്റെ നടുവിൽ ഒരു ക്രൂരവും നിർദയവുമായ പ്രവൃത്തി നടന്നു।

Word by Word

• वर्षता: was raining/showering
• वर्षता: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्षत् (√वृष्/वर्ष्)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन

• शरवर्षाणि: showers of arrows
• शरवर्षाणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवर्ष (शर + वर्ष)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वैशसं: slaughter; carnage
• वैशसं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशस
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृतम्: done; made
• कृतम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृत (√कृ)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, एकवचन, क्त

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (śara)
• battle/combat (saṃyuga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, amid the chaos of war, actions can slip into vaiśaṃsa—ruthless cruelty—implicitly warning that even in battle one must remain vigilant about ethical limits and the descent into adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: arrows are falling in dense volleys, and in that intense moment a cruel act is committed, setting a grim tone for the events being reported.