Shloka 16

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

तत्राद्भुतमपश्याम बीभत्सोर्हस्तलाघवम्‌

Transliteration

tatrādbhutam apaśyāma bībhatsor hastalāghavam | yathā vāyur ghanān chinnabhinnaṃ karoti tathā bahubhir yoddhaiḥ kṛtaṃ duḥsahaṃ bāṇa-varṣaṃ sa eko ’pi nivārayām āsa ||

Translation

तत्राद्भुतमपश्याम बीभत्सोर्हस्तलाघवम् । यथा मारुतोऽभ्रगणान् भिनत्ति तद्वदेकः शरवृष्टिं बहुभिः सृष्टां दुरासदां न्यवारयत् ॥

Word by Word

• तत्र: there, in that battle
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, marvelous (thing)
• अद्भुतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अपश्याम: we saw
• अपश्याम: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 1st, Plural, Parasmaipada

• बीभत्सोः: of Bhībhatsu (Arjuna)
• बीभत्सोः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीभत्सु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• हस्तलाघवम्: dexterity/quickness of hand
• हस्तलाघवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्तलाघव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna (Bībhatsu)
• arrows (bāṇa)
• wind (vāyu)
• clouds (ghana)
• warriors (yoddha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even within warfare, disciplined mastery and presence of mind can function ethically as restraint: Arjuna’s skill is portrayed not merely as aggression but as the capacity to protect and to prevent overwhelming harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna displayed astonishing dexterity, single-handedly countering a fierce, collective barrage of arrows from many opposing warriors—likened to wind shredding clouds.