Shloka 14

नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च

Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault

Devanagari script

अथास्य सशरं चापं मुष्टिदेशेडच्छिनत्‌ तदा । ध्वजं च त्वरितं छित्त्वा रथाद्‌ भूमावपातयत्‌

Transliteration

athāsya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭideśe 'cchinat tadā | dhvajaṃ ca tvaritaṃ chittvā rathād bhūmāv apātayat ||

Translation

అప్పుడు అతని చేతి పట్టు దగ్గర బాణంతో కూడిన ధనుస్సును క్షణంలోనే కోసివేశెను. అలాగే ధ్వజాన్ని కూడా త్వరగా తెగదెంపి రథం నుండి నేలపై పడవేశెను.

Word by Word

अथthen

अस्यof him

सशरम्together with arrows

चापम्bow

मुष्टिदेशेat the grip/handle-part

उदच्छिनत्he cut off

तदाthen/at that time

ध्वजम्banner/standard

चand

त्वरितम्quickly / in haste

छित्त्वाhaving cut

रथात्from the chariot

भूमौon the ground

अपातयत्he caused to fall / felled

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

bow (cāpa)

arrow (śara)

banner/standard (dhvaja)

chariot (ratha)

ground (bhūmi)

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 highlights how, in war, technical mastery can decisively neutralize an opponent—disarming him and toppling his banner (a symbol of status and morale). Ethically, it reflects the epic’s tension: kṣatriya-duty demands effectiveness in battle, even when it entails humiliating or crippling the enemy’s capacity to fight.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior’s rapid strike: he severs the opponent’s bow at the very grip while it still bears an arrow, and then cuts down the chariot’s banner, making it fall to the ground—an act that both disables and symbolically diminishes the foe.