Shloka 396

Devanagari script

पतन्त्यविरला: शूला: शतघ्न्य: पट्टिशास्तथा । लोहेके चक्र, भुशुण्डी, शक्ति, तोमर, शूल, शतघ्नी और पट्टिश आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी अविरल धाराएँ गिर रही थीं

Transliteration

patanty aviralāḥ śūlāḥ śataghnyaḥ paṭṭiśās tathā |

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—अविरलाः शूलाः शतघ्न्यः पट्टिशाश्च, लोहमयाश्चक्राणि भुशुण्ड्यः शक्तयस्तॊमराश्च, सर्वेऽस्त्रशस्त्रवर्षा इव रणभूमौ पतन्ति स्म; तेन सा भूमिः निरन्तरायसवृष्ट्या समाच्छन्नेवाभवत्, भयत्रासं च युद्धस्य दारुणतां च वर्धयामास।

Word by Word

पतन्तिfall (are falling)

अविरलाःunbroken, continuous

शूलाःspears, pikes

शतघ्न्यःsataghnis (missile/weapon, lit. 'hundred-slayer')

पट्टिशाःbattle-axes / hatchets

तथाand also, likewise

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

śūla (spear)

śataghnī

paṭṭiśa

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 grim reality of war: when violence becomes continuous and indiscriminate, it magnifies fear and suffering, reminding the listener that even ‘duty-bound’ warfare carries heavy ethical and human costs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battle at its fiercest moment, where a constant barrage of weapons—spears, śataghnīs, and axes—falls upon the combatants, conveying the intensity and chaos of the fighting.