Mahabharata 7.202.116 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 202, Shloka 116

Devanagari script

तस्माच्छरा: प्रादुरासन्‌ शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । संछादयन्त: समरे द्रौणिमाहवशोभिनम्‌

Transliteration

tasmāc charāḥ prādurāsan śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | saṃchādayantaḥ samare drauṇim āhavaśobhinam ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Maka muncullah anak-anak panah beratus-ratus, lalu beribu-ribu, merebak menutupi medan perang—menyelubungi putera Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā) yang tampak gemilang dalam pertempuran.”

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: from that (cause/therefore)
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• शराः: arrows
• शराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रादुरासन्: appeared, arose
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रादुर् + अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• शतशः: by hundreds, in hundreds
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शत

• अथ: and then/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• सहस्रशः: by thousands, in thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्र

• संछादयन्तः: covering, veiling
• संछादयन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + छद्
• Form: Present active participle (Śatṛ), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• द्रौणिम्: Drauni (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रौणिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: द्रौणि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आहवशोभिनम्: splendid in battle
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आहव-शोभिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā)
• arrows (śarāḥ)
• battlefield/battle (samara, āhava)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how quickly violence can escalate in war—power becomes visible as sheer volume and intensity of weaponry. Ethically, it invites reflection on the dehumanizing momentum of battle, where skill and fury can blanket the field and obscure restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a surge of arrows appearing in vast numbers—hundreds and thousands—covering the battlefield and enveloping Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, who is portrayed as formidable and radiant in combat.