Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

विमुक्तां बहुभियोंधै: शस्त्रवृष्टिं दुरासदाम्‌ । यदेको वारयामास मारुतो5भ्रगणानिव

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | vimuktāṃ bahubhir yodhaiḥ śastravṛṣṭiṃ durāsadām | yad eko vārayāmāsa māruto 'bhragaṇān iva ||

Translation

विमुक्तां बहुभिर्युद्धे शस्त्रवृष्टिं दुरासदाम् । यदेको वारयामास मारुतोऽभ्रगणानिव ॥

Word by Word

• विमुक्ताम्: released, discharged
• विमुक्ताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्त (वि+मुच्, क्त)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• बहुभिः: by many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• योधैः: by warriors
• योधैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योद्धृ/योध (योद्धा)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शस्त्रवृष्टिम्: shower of weapons
• शस्त्रवृष्टिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्रवृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• दुरासदाम्: hard to approach/withstand
• दुरासदाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुरासद (दुर्+आसद)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• यत्: which/that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद्

• एकः: alone, single
• एकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वारयामास: checked, warded off
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (वारयति)
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic Perfect), 3rd, Singular

• मारुतः: wind
• मारुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्रगणान्: masses of clouds
• अभ्रगणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभ्रगण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• wind (māruta)
• cloud-masses (abhragaṇa)
• weapon-shower (śastravṛṣṭi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid collective aggression, disciplined excellence and steadiness can restrain destructive force; the verse praises controlled power—strength guided by purpose rather than rage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that many warriors unleashed a formidable barrage of weapons, but Arjuna alone countered and neutralized it, compared to wind dispersing clouds.