Shloka 7

द्रोणेन केकय-चेदि-वीरवधः

Droṇa’s engagements with the Kekayas and Cedis

Devanagari script

ते तु नामाड़किता: पीता: कालज्वलनसंनिभा: । स्नायुनद्धा: सुपर्वाण: पृथवो दीर्घगामिन:,अर्जुनके बाणोंपर उनका नाम अंकित था। उनपर पानी चढ़ाया गया था। वे कालाग्निके समान भयंकर, ताँतमें बँधे हुए, सुन्दर पंखवाले, मोटे तथा दूरतक जानेवाले थे। उनमेंसे कुछ तो बाँसके बने हुए थे और कुछ लोहेके। वे सभी भयंकर थे और नाना प्रकारके शत्रुओंका संहार करते हुए पक्षियोंके साथ उड़कर युद्धस्थलमें प्राणियोंका रक्त पीते थे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

te tu nāmāṅkitāḥ pītāḥ kālajvalanasaṃnibhāḥ |

snāyunaddhāḥ suparvāṇaḥ pṛthavo dīrghagāminaḥ ||

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच— ते शरा नामाङ्किताः पीताः कालज्वलनसन्निभाः। स्नायुनद्धाः सुपर्वाणः सुफलाः पृथवो दीर्घगामिनः, शिल्पकौशलसमुत्पन्ना निघ्नन्तो बहून् प्राणिनो रणभूमौ क्रूरतां प्राकाशयन्।

Word by Word

तेthey/those

तुbut/indeed

नामname

आङ्किताःmarked/inscribed

पीताःsmeared/imbibed (with liquid); anointed

काल-ज्वलन-संनिभाःresembling the fire of Time (death-fire)

स्नायु-नद्धाःbound with sinews

सु-पर्वाणःhaving fine joints/knots (well-jointed)

पृथवःbroad/thick

दीर्घ-गामिनःgoing far; long-ranging

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

arrows (bāṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war transforms human ingenuity into instruments that resemble ‘Kāla’—inevitable death. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of martial excellence when directed toward destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is vividly describing the arrows used in the battle—marked, treated, sinew-bound, well-feathered, thick, and long-ranging—emphasizing their terrifying, death-dealing power.