Mahabharata 7.177.28 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 177, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

संछिन्दन्तौ च गात्राणि संदधानौ च सायकान्‌

Transliteration

saṃchindantau ca gātrāṇi saṃdadhānau ca sāyakān

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അവർ പരസ്പരം അവയവങ്ങൾ ഛേദിക്കുകയും, പിന്നെ ഉടൻ തന്നെ അമ്പുകൾ വില്ലിൽ ഘടിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു; ഇതായിരുന്നു യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ ക്രൂരമായ താളം—ആഘാതത്തിന് ശേഷം ഇടവേളയില്ല, വീണ്ടും പ്രഹരത്തിനുള്ള ക്ഷണിക സജ്ജത മാത്രം.

Word by Word

• संछिन्दन्तौ: cutting asunder
• संछिन्दन्तौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + छिद्
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम, द्विवचन, कर्तरि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गात्राणि: limbs, bodies
• गात्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• संदधानौ: placing, fixing, fitting (on)
• संदधानौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + धा
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम, द्विवचन, कर्तरि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सायकान्: arrows
• सायकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• limbs (gātrāṇi)
• arrows (sāyakāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the relentless momentum of warfare: harm is inflicted and immediately followed by renewed preparation to harm again. Ethically, it invites reflection on how duty and martial prowess, when absorbed into battle-fury, can normalize continuous violence and eclipse compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a close, intense fight between two warriors (implied by the dual forms): they are cutting off limbs and repeatedly setting arrows to shoot again, indicating sustained, ferocious combat without respite.