Shloka 38

Devanagari script

नराश्वरथमातज़ा युधि गाण्डीवधन्चना । शयव्रातैश्वषिता रेजु: कदम्बा इव केसरै:

Transliteration

narāśvarathamātaṅgā yudhi gāṇḍīvadhanvanā | śaravrātaiś chaviṣitā rejūḥ kadambā iva kesaraiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Di medan perang, manusia, kuda, kereta perang dan gajah—yang ditembusi oleh hujan anak panah Arjuna, pemegang busur Gāṇḍīva—kelihatan seakan dihias, bagaikan bunga kadamba yang berseri dengan benang sarinya.

Word by Word

• नर: men
• नर: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्व: horses
• अश्व: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रथ: chariots
• रथ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मातङ्गाः: elephants
• मातङ्गाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: युध्
• Form: Locative adverb (from noun yudh- 'battle')

• गाण्डीवधन्वना: by the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow (Arjuna)
• गाण्डीवधन्वना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाण्डीवधन्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• शरव्रातैः: by volleys/masses of arrows
• शरव्रातैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरव्रात
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वेष्टिताः: wrapped/covered (with)
• वेष्टिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेष्टित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त), from √वेष्ट्

• रेजुः: shone, appeared splendid
• रेजुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √राज्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कदम्बाः: kadamba trees/flowers
• कदम्बाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कदम्ब
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव
• Form: Particle of comparison

• केसरैः: with filaments (stamens)
• केसरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: केसर
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Gāṇḍīva (bow)
• battlefield
• men (warriors)
• horses
• chariots
• elephants
• arrows
• kadamba flowers

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how martial skill can make scenes of destruction appear visually ‘ornamented,’ prompting reflection on the ethical gravity of war: aesthetic brilliance and heroic prowess do not neutralize the suffering and moral burden inherent in violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s intense arrow-fire on the battlefield: warriors, horses, chariots, and elephants are riddled with arrows, and the protruding shafts are compared to the stamens of kadamba flowers, creating a vivid and unsettling image of the carnage.