Shloka 656

Devanagari script

नानावर्णहता बाणै: पञ्चालैरपलायिभि: | 'युद्धसे पीठ न दिखानेवाले पांचाल-वीरोंके विभिन्न रंगोंवाले बाणोंसे मारे जाकर ये प्राणशून्य रथी रथोंसे नीचे गिर रहे हैं

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

nānāvarṇahatā bāṇaiḥ pañcālair apalāyibhiḥ |

Translation

संजय म्हणाला— युद्धात पाठ न फिरविणाऱ्या पांचाल वीरांच्या नानावर्ण बाणांनी घायाळ होऊन हे रथी प्राणहीन होऊन रथांवरून खाली कोसळत आहेत।

Word by Word

नानाvariously, of many kinds

वर्णby colors

हताःkilled, struck down

बाणैःby arrows

पञ्चालैःby the Panchalas

अपलायिभिःby (those) not fleeing; non-retreating

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāñcālas

arrows (bāṇa)

chariots (ratha)

chariot-warriors (rathī)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the uncompromising reality of war: even steadfast, non-retreating warriors meet death. It implicitly frames courage (not fleeing) as a kṣatriya virtue, while also reminding that valor operates within the tragic moral cost of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Pāñcāla fighters, who stand firm in battle, are shooting many-colored arrows that kill chariot-warriors; the lifeless rathīs then tumble down from their chariots.