Mahabharata 7.25.37 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 25, Shloka 37

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance

Devanagari script

परम बुद्धिमान्‌ नवयुवक विकर्णने युवावस्थासे सम्पन्न ट्रपदकुमार शिखण्डीको युद्धमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोका ।।

Transliteration

tatas tam iṣujālena yājñaseniḥ samāvṛṇot | vidhūya tad bāṇajālaṃ babhau tava suto balī ||

Translation

ततस्तमिषुजालेन याज्ञसेनिः समावृणोत् । विधूय तद् बाणजालं बभौ तव सुतो बली ॥

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इषु-जालेन: with a net of arrows
• इषु-जालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषुजाल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• याज्ञसेनिः: Yājñaseni (Śikhaṇḍī)
• याज्ञसेनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञसेनि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समावृणोत्: covered/enveloped
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√वृ (वृणोति)
• Form: Imperfect, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• विधूय: having shaken off/dispelled
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√धू
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), Parasmaipada

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बाण-जालम्: the net/mass of arrows
• बाण-जालम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाणजाल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बभौ: shone/appeared splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भा
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बली: strong/mighty
• बली: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Yājñaseni (Śikhaṇḍī)
• tava sutaḥ (a Kaurava prince; in the provided Hindi gloss identified as Vikarṇa)
• iṣu-jāla (net of arrows)
• bāṇa-jāla (web of arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: steadiness under pressure and mastery over fear and confusion. Ethically, it also underscores how war rewards technical prowess and resilience, even when the broader conflict is tragic and morally complex.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śikhaṇḍī (called Yājñaseni) releases a dense volley, ‘covering’ his opponent with an arrow-net. The Kaurava prince addressed as ‘your son’ (to Dhṛtarāṣṭra) counters by shaking off and breaking through the barrage, emerging radiant and formidable.