Shloka 28

Devanagari script

निशितांश्वैव दीर्घासीनृष्टिशक्तिपरश्वधान्‌ । अपरान्तसमुद्धूतांस्तथैव परशूज्छितान्‌

Transliteration

niśitāṁś caiva dīrghāsīn ṛṣṭiśaktiparaśvadhān | aparāntasamuddhūtāṁs tathaiva paraśūcchitān

Translation

Duryodhana berkata: “(Aku melihat) senjata-senjata tajam—pedang panjang, tombak, lembing, dan kapak perang—serta persenjataan lain yang dibawa dari wilayah barat; dan juga kapak-kapak yang telah dipasang dan disiapkan untuk digunakan.”

Word by Word

निशितान्sharpened, keen

अश्वान्horses

एवindeed, just

दीर्घासीन्long-swords

ऋष्टीन्spears, lances

शक्तीन्javelins, spears

परश्वधान्battle-axes

अपरान्तसमुद्धूतान्raised aloft from the western end (i.e., from the far side)

तथाthus, likewise

एवindeed, just

परशून्axes

छितान्cut, hewn; (also) sharpened/trimmed

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

weapons (swords, spears, javelins, axes)

Aparānta (western region)

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 the pursuit of dominance often manifests as the procurement of weapons and coercive power; ethically, it signals a movement away from restraint and righteous counsel toward intimidation and violence, a hallmark of adharma-driven politics in the epic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana is describing the presence/collection of various sharp weapons—swords, spears, javelins, and axes—some procured from the western region (Aparānta), indicating preparation for armed action and the intensification of hostility.