Shloka 30

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

Devanagari script

तमापतन्तं सहसा हेमपट्टविभूषितम्‌

Transliteration

tam āpatantaṃ sahasā hemapaṭṭavibhūṣitam

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Dia tiba-tiba menerpa turun ke atasnya, berhias dengan ikat kepala emas.”

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आपतन्तम्: falling upon / rushing at
• आपतन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: आपत् (धातु: पत्/आपत्)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), Parasmaipada (active participle)

• सहसा: suddenly, swiftly
• सहसा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा

• हेमपट्टविभूषितम्: adorned with a golden headband/diadem
• हेमपट्टविभूषितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभूषित (वि + भूष् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• golden headband (hema-paṭṭa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the stark contrast between royal splendor and the harsh immediacy of war: external marks of status (golden adornment) do not shield one from the sudden, decisive force of battlefield action, reminding readers of impermanence and the gravity of kṣatriya conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior’s sudden charge or descent upon an opponent—an abrupt, forceful attack—while noting the attacker’s golden headband, a detail that signals nobility and heightens the dramatic tension.