Shloka 24

दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra

Devanagari script

तामापतन्तीं सहसा महोल्काप्रतिमां तदा | द्विधा चिच्छेद समरे प्रतिविन्ध्यो हसन्निव,समरांगणमें बड़ी भारी उल्काके समान सहसा आती हुई उस शक्तिको प्रतिविन्ध्यने हँसते हुए-से दो टुकड़ोंमें काट डाला

Transliteration

tām āpatantīṃ sahasā maholkā-pratimāṃ tadā | dvidhā ciccheda samare prativindhyo hasann iva ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Ketika senjata itu meluru turun dengan tiba-tiba—bagaikan meteor besar yang menyala—Prativindhya, seolah-olah tersenyum, membelahnya dua di medan perang. Adegan ini menegaskan ketenangan terlatih seorang pahlawan: di tengah daya yang mematikan, penguasaan senjata dan keteguhan minda menjadi suatu dharma medan tempur—menahan panik dan menyambut keganasan dengan kemahiran yang terkawal, bukan dengan amarah.

Word by Word

ताम्that (her/it) (object)

आपतन्तीम्falling/coming swiftly (towards)

सहसाsuddenly, at once

महा-उल्का-प्रतिमाम्like a great meteor

तदाthen

द्विधाinto two parts

चिच्छेदcut, severed

समरेin battle

प्रतिविन्ध्यःPrativindhya (name)

हसन्laughing

इवas if, like

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Prativindhya

śakti (weapon/spear-like missile)

battlefield (samara)

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 disciplined fearlessness: in the chaos of war, a warrior’s dharma is shown through steadiness, presence of mind, and precise action—meeting danger with controlled skill rather than uncontrolled anger or panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

A powerful weapon (śakti), described as meteor-like, rushes toward its target. Prativindhya intercepts it in combat and splits it into two, appearing almost amused—signaling confidence and mastery on the battlefield.