Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तामापतन्तीं सहसा घोररूपां विशाम्पते । द्विधा चिच्छेद ते पुत्र: क्षुरप्रेण महारथ:

Transliteration

tām āpatantīṃ sahasā ghorarūpāṃ viśāmpate | dvidhā ciccheda te putraḥ kṣurapreṇa mahārathaḥ ||

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—तामापतन्तीं सहसा घोररूपां विशाम्पते, तव पुत्रो महारथः क्षुरप्रेण द्विधा चिच्छेद।

Word by Word

• ताम्: her/that (f.)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आपतन्तीम्: falling/coming upon (rushing)
• आपतन्तीम्: Karma
• Type: Participle
• Root: आपत् (धातु: पत्/आपत्)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular, Present active (शतृ)

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा

• घोररूपाम्: of terrible form
• घोररूपाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोररूप
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• विशाम्पते: O lord of the people
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• द्विधा: into two (in two parts)
• द्विधा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्विधा

• चिच्छेद: cut, split
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ते: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular, 2nd

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षुरप्रेण: with a razor-edged (arrow/weapon)
• क्षुरप्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुरप्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महारथः: great chariot-warrior
• महारथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Duryodhana
• śakti (weapon/spear-like missile)
• kṣurapra (razor-edged missile/weapon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the battlefield ethic where alertness and decisive action are essential; power is checked by counter-power, and prowess (śaurya, kauśala) becomes the immediate instrument of survival, even when moral restraint is not foregrounded.

What is happening in the narrative?

A terrifying weapon (śakti) rushes toward Duryodhana; he responds instantly and splits it into two with a razor-edged missile (kṣurapra), as Sañjaya reports the event to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.