Shloka 20

Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance

Devanagari script

तथैवार्जुनिना मुक्ता: शरा: कनकभूषणा:

Transliteration

tathaivārjuninā muktāḥ śarāḥ kanakabhūṣaṇāḥ

Translation

तथैवार्जुनिना मुक्ता: शरा: कनकभूषणा:।

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed, just, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अर्जुनिना: by Arjuna
• अर्जुनिना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मुक्ताः: released, discharged
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• कनकभूषणाः: having golden ornaments / gold-adorned
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कनकभूषण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined action in a morally charged setting: Arjuna’s force is not random violence but purposeful, duty-bound engagement. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern that even in war, conduct should be governed by resolve, restraint, and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna releases arrows adorned with gold, describing the intensity and splendor of the combat. The line functions as a vivid battlefield detail, emphasizing Arjuna’s active participation and the formidable exchange of missiles.