Shloka 156

Devanagari script

तेन तेनाभ्यधावन्त विसृजन्तश्न भारत । भारत! सैकड़ों वीर धनुष और तरकस लिये सुवर्णमय आभूषणोंसे विभूषित हो कितने ही विपक्षी वीरोंका विश्वस्त भावसे विनाश करके स्वयं भी शत्रुओंके प्रहारसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित हो रहे थे और स्वयं भी अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका प्रहार करते हुए विभिन्न मार्गोसे इधर-उधर भाग- दौड़ कर रहे थे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | tena tenābhyadhāvanta visṛjantaś ca bhārata |

Translation

तेन तेनाभ्यधावन्त विसृजन्तश्च भारत । धनुषां निषङ्गांश्च वहन्तो हेमभूषणभूषिताः । विपक्षवीरान् विश्वस्तभावेन निघ्नन्तः केचिद् अपि । शत्रुप्रहारैः पीड्यमानाः पुनरस्त्रशस्त्रैः प्रतिघ्नन्तो विविधमार्गैः समन्ताद् धावन्ति ॥

Word by Word

तेनby that / with that

अभ्यधावन्तran towards / charged

विसृजन्तःreleasing / discharging (missiles)

अश्नate / consumed

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)

bows (dhanuḥ)

quivers (tarakasa)

golden ornaments (suvarṇamaya ābharaṇa)

weapons (astra-śastra)

opposing warriors (vipakṣa-vīra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the paradox of war: even victorious, confident warriors are simultaneously vulnerable to suffering. It highlights the kṣatriya arena where courage and destruction coexist with inevitable pain, reminding the listener that violence rebounds upon its agents and that battlefield success does not exempt one from affliction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the ongoing melee at Kurukṣetra: warriors repeatedly charge, release weapons, and strike down opponents, while also being struck and wounded. The scene emphasizes rapid movement in many directions, the press of combat, and the mutual injury characteristic of a large-scale battle.