Shloka 53

Devanagari script

निमेषार्धेन कौन्तेय आत्तमात्तं महारणे

Transliteration

nimeṣārdhena kaunteya āttamāttaṃ mahāraṇe

Translation

संजय म्हणाला—हे कौन्तेय! महायुद्धात पापणी लवण्याच्या अर्ध्या वेळेतच उचललेले शस्त्रही (समोरच्याने) परत हिरावून घेतले.

Word by Word

• निमेषार्धेन: by (in) half a blink
• निमेषार्धेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमेषार्ध
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कौन्तेय: O son of Kunti
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौन्तेय
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• आत्तम्: seized, taken up
• आत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आत्तम्: seized, taken up
• आत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महारणे: in the great battle
• महारणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kaunteya (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the razor-fast reversals possible in righteous combat: skill, alertness, and presence of mind can instantly overturn advantage. Ethically, it underscores the seriousness of kṣatriya duty—battle is not mere violence but a disciplined arena where mastery and restraint matter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where, almost instantaneously, a weapon that had been seized is seized back—conveying the speed and intensity of the duel and the exceptional martial prowess of the fighters involved.