Shloka 7

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 42 — Duryodhana’s counsel to Bhīṣma on ajñātavāsa risk and raid strategy

Devanagari script

विपाठा: पृथव: कस्य गार्ध्रपत्रा: शिलाशिता: । हारिद्रवर्णा: सुमुखा: पीता: सर्वायसा: शरा:

Transliteration

uttara uvāca | vipāṭhāḥ pṛthavaḥ kasya gārdhrapatrāḥ śilāśitāḥ | hāridravarṇāḥ sumukhāḥ pītāḥ sarvāyasāḥ śarāḥ ||

Translation

Уттара сказала: «Чьи это широкие, тяжёлодревковые стрелы — оперённые перьями грифа и наточенные о камень? Они цвета куркумы, с красиво выведенными наконечниками, кажутся позолоченными; и все они — железные стрелы. Для чьего употребления они?»

Word by Word

• विपाठाः: vipāṭha-arrows (thick-shafted arrows)
• विपाठाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपाठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पृथवः: broad/thick
• पृथवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृथु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कस्य: of whom/whose
• कस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• गार्ध्रपत्राः: having vulture-feathers
• गार्ध्रपत्राः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गार्ध्र-पत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शिलाशिताः: sharpened on stone
• शिलाशिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिला-आशित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हारिद्रवर्णाः: turmeric-colored/yellow
• हारिद्रवर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हारिद्र-वर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सुमुखाः: beautiful-pointed/with fine tips
• सुमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-मुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पीताः: yellow; gilded
• पीताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वायसाः: made wholly of iron
• सर्वायसाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-आयस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शराः: arrows
• शराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

उत्तर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Uttara (Prince of Virāṭa)
• arrows (śarāḥ)
• vulture-feathers (gārdhrapatrāḥ)
• stone (śilā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights discernment and responsibility in the use of power: Uttara carefully examines the weapons and asks whose they are, implying that arms are not neutral objects but belong to a duty-bound context and a rightful wielder.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Virāṭa’s kingdom, Uttara notices a set of distinctive, high-quality arrows—broad, stone-whetted, vulture-fletched, yellow/gilded, and made wholly of iron—and asks to whom they belong and for what purpose they are kept.