Shloka 32

Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions

Devanagari script

शरं चैव महाघोरं कालदण्डमिवापरम्‌

Transliteration

śaraṃ caiva mahāghoraṃ kāladaṇḍam ivāparam

Translation

ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਨੇ ਇੱਕ ਅਤਿ ਭਿਆਨਕ ਤੀਰ ਛੱਡਿਆ—ਮਾਨੋ ਮੌਤ ਦਾ ਹੋਰ ਇੱਕ ਡੰਡਾ ਹੀ ਹੋਵੇ।

Word by Word

शरम्arrow

चand

एवindeed/just

महाघोरम्very terrible

कालदण्डम्the rod of Time (Yama's staff)

इवlike/as

अपरम्another/second

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

śara (arrow)

Kāla (Death/Time)

daṇḍa (rod/staff of punishment)

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 underscores the terrifying inevitability of death and consequence in war: once violence is unleashed, it can resemble the impartial ‘rod of Kāla,’ reminding readers that adharma-driven conflict invites inexorable suffering and karmic retribution.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sañjaya’s battlefield narration, a warrior (contextually implied from surrounding verses) discharges an exceptionally fearsome arrow, compared to the punitive staff of Death/Time, signaling a lethal turning point in the combat.