Shloka 13

Devanagari script

प्रतिश्रुति: प्राचरदन्तरिक्षे गुहा गिरीणामपतन्‌ वयांसि । यन्मण्डलज्येन विजृम्भमाणो रौद्रे मुहूर्तेडभ्यपतत्‌ किरीटी

Transliteration

pratiśrutiḥ prācarad antarīkṣe guhā girīṇām apatan vayāṁsi | yanmaṇḍalajyena vijṛmbhamāṇo raudre muhūrte 'bhyapatat kirīṭī ||

Translation

संजय म्हणाला—आकाशात प्रचंड प्रतिध्वनी पसरली; पर्वतांच्या गुहांत पक्षी कोसळले. त्या रौद्र मुहूर्तात धनुष्याच्या मण्डलाकार ताणाने उफाळून, किरीटधारी अर्जुन हल्ल्यास झेपावला.

Word by Word

प्रतिश्रुतिःecho, reverberation

प्राचरत्moved about, spread

अन्तरिक्षेin the sky, in mid-air

गुहाcave, cavern

गिरीणाम्of mountains

अपतन्fell, flew down

वयांसिbirds

यत्by which

मण्डलज्येनwith the bow-string (lit. circular bow-string)

विजृम्भमाणःstretching out, expanding (in action)

रौद्रेin the fierce (time/phase)

मुहूर्तेat the moment, in that instant

अभ्यपतत्rushed/flew towards, swooped upon

किरीटीthe diademed one (Arjuna)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna (Kirīṭī)

sky (antarīkṣa)

mountain caves (guhā girīṇām)

birds (vayāṁsi)

bow-string/bow (jyā/maṇḍala)

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 how decisive martial action (kṣatriya resolve) carries moral weight and consequence: when a warrior commits to battle in a righteous cause, the moment is portrayed as so grave that even nature reflects the intensity—suggesting responsibility, not mere aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes an ominous, thunder-like reverberation in the sky; birds drop into mountain caves. In that fearful instant, Arjuna—called Kirīṭī—surges forward to strike, his bow-string’s sweeping arc evoking the build-up of power as he attacks.