Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 45

Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host

Devanagari script

शूरबाहुविसृष्टानां शक्तीनां भरतर्षभ । ज्योतिषामिव सम्पातमपश्यन्‌ कुरुपाण्डवा:

Transliteration

śūrabāhuvisṛṣṭānāṁ śaktīnāṁ bharatarṣabha | jyotiṣām iva sampātam apaśyan kurupāṇḍavāḥ ||

Translation

Disse Sañjaya: Ó touro entre os Bhāratas, os guerreiros Kuru e Pāṇḍava viram o ímpeto das lanças arremessadas por heróis de braços poderosos—como a queda súbita e convergente de luzes ardentes no céu.

Word by Word

• शूरबाहु: of the strong-armed (warriors)
• शूरबाहु: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूरबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• विसृष्टानाम्: of those that were hurled/released
• विसृष्टानाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-√सृज्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• शक्तीनाम्: of spears/javelins
• शक्तीनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ज्योतिषाम्: of lights (stars/meteors)
• ज्योतिषाम्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• इव: as if/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• सम्पातम्: a rushing together; a fall/flight (downward rush)
• सम्पातम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्पात
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अपश्यन्: they saw
• अपश्यन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश्
• Form: Imperfect, 3, Plural

• कुरुपाण्डवाः: the Kurus and the Pandavas
• कुरुपाण्डवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुपाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the address bharatarṣabha)
• Kurus
• Pāṇḍavas
• śakti (spears/javelins)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the impersonal, overwhelming momentum of warfare: even courageous warriors must face the swift convergence of deadly forces. Ethically, it points to the grave consequences of choosing war—once unleashed, violence moves with a force that is difficult to restrain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where powerful warriors hurl spears (śaktis). Both the Kuru and Pāṇḍava fighters witness the massed, simultaneous flight and impact of these weapons, compared to meteors or blazing lights falling together.