Shloka 186

Devanagari script

अभ्यद्रवन्त गाड़ेयं शरवृष्ट्या समाहता: । सेनापतिकी यह बात सुनकर सोमक और सूंजय वीर बाणोंकी भारी वर्षासे घायल होनेपर भी गंगानन्दन भीष्मकी ओर दौड़े

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | abhyadravanta gāḍeyaṃ śaravṛṣṭyā samāhatāḥ | senāpatikī yaha bāta sunkara somaka aura sūñjaya vīra bāṇoṃkī bhārī varṣāse ghāyala honepara bhī gaṅgānandana bhīṣmakī ora dauṛe |

Translation

ശരവൃഷ്ടിയിൽ കഠിനമായി ആഹതരായിട്ടും അവർ ഗാംഗേയ ഭീഷ്മന്റെ നേരെ പാഞ്ഞു. സേനാപതിയുടെ വാക്ക് കേട്ട്, സോമകരും സൃഞ്ജയ വീരന്മാരും, കനത്ത അമ്പുമഴയിൽ ക്ഷതഗാത്രരായിട്ടും, ഗംഗാനന്ദനനായ ഭീഷ്മനെ ലക്ഷ്യമാക്കി വേഗത്തിൽ മുന്നേറി।

Word by Word

• अभ्यद्रवन्त: they ran towards / charged
• अभ्यद्रवन्त: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√द्रु (द्रव्)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), 3, Plural, परस्मैपद

• गाङ्गेयम्: Gāṅgeya (Bhīṣma)
• गाङ्गेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाङ्गेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शरवृष्ट्या: by a shower of arrows
• शरवृष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• समाहताः: struck / wounded
• समाहताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-√हन् (हत) / समाहत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sanjaya)
• गाङ्गेय/गङ्गानन्दन भीष्म (Gāṅgeya/Gaṅgānandana Bhishma)
• सोमक (Somakas)
• सूञ्जय/शृञ्जय (Srinjayas)
• शर (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness in one’s chosen duty (kṣatriya-dharma): even when wounded and under overwhelming attack, warriors continue forward in obedience to command and commitment to their cause, placing responsibility above personal safety.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that, despite being badly struck by a dense shower of arrows, the Somakas and Srinjayas—responding to their commander’s call—rush to engage Bhishma (Gāṅgeya), intensifying the clash around the Kuru grandsire.