Mahabharata 7.30.263 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 30, Shloka 263

Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall

Droṇa-parva

Devanagari script

जघानास्त्रबलेनाशु प्रहसन्नर्जुनस्तदा । इस प्रकार सुबलपुत्र शकुनिके द्वारा बारंबार प्रयुक्त हुई नाना प्रकारकी मायाओंको उस समय अर्जुनने अपने अस्त्रबलसे हँसते-हँसते शीघ्र ही नष्ट कर दिया

Transliteration

jaghānāstrabalena āśu prahasann arjunas tadā |

Translation

संजय म्हणाला—तेव्हा अर्जुन, जणू त्या कपटावर उपहासाने हसत, सुबलपुत्र शकुनीने वारंवार रचलेल्या नानाविध मायाप्रपंचांना आपल्या अस्त्रबलाने क्षणार्धात नष्ट करून टाकले।

Word by Word

• जघान: he destroyed/slayed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अस्त्रबलेन: by the power of (his) weapons
• अस्त्रबलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्रबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन

• आशु: quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु

• प्रहसन्: laughing
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अर्जुनः: Arjuna
• अर्जुनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तदा: then/at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Śakuni
• Subala
• astra (divine/missile weapons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts deceptive ‘māyā’ with disciplined competence: steadiness, clarity, and rightful strength can neutralize trickery without being drawn into the same moral darkness. It affirms the ideal of dharma-yuddha where victory is sought through mastery and courage rather than fraud.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śakuni repeatedly employs various deceptive or illusory tactics on the battlefield, but Arjuna—confident and unshaken—quickly counters and destroys them using his astra-power.