Shloka 673

गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह

Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation

Devanagari script

श्वेतं विव्याध राजेन्द्र कड़्कपत्रै: शितै: शरै: । राजेन्द्र! तब शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने दूसरा धनुष लेकर युद्धस्थलमें कंकपत्रयुक्त पैने बाणोंद्वारा श्वेतको घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

śvetaṃ vivyādha rājendra kaṅkapatraiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Ó rei, então Bhīṣma, filho de Śāntanu, tomou outro arco e, no campo de batalha, feriu Śveta com flechas afiadas, guarnecidas com penas de garça.

Word by Word

• श्वेतम्: Shveta (proper name)
• श्वेतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विव्याध: pierced, wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कङ्कपत्रैः: with heron-feathered (arrows)
• कङ्कपत्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कङ्कपत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शितैः: sharp
• शितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīṣma (Śāntanava)
• Śveta
• bow (dhanus)
• arrows (śara)
• heron-feathers (kaṅkapatra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of unwavering kṣatriya-duty: a warrior persists in his assigned role even amid setbacks (changing weapons), while the narrative implicitly invites reflection on the human cost of such steadfastness in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, taking another bow, shoots and wounds Śveta with sharp, heron-feathered arrows during the fighting.