Shloka 23

Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत कर्णपर्वमें सहदेव और दुःशासनका युद्धविषयक तेईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

te śarā hemavikṛtāḥ sampatanto muhur muhuḥ | śreṇīkṛtā vyakāśanta krauñcāḥ śreṇīkṛtā iva ||

Translation

ఆ బంగారు అలంకారముతో కూడిన బాణములు మళ్లీ మళ్లీ దూసుకొచ్చి పడుచూ, వరుసలుగా ప్రకాశించెను; వరుసగా ఎగిరే క్రౌంచ పక్షుల గుంపులవలె।

Word by Word

• ते: those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शराः: arrows
• शराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हेम-विकृताः: adorned/modified with gold
• हेम-विकृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम-विकृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सम्पतन्तः: falling down, rushing down
• सम्पतन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः

• मुहुः: repeatedly
• मुहुः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः

• श्रेणी-कृताः: arranged in rows
• श्रेणी-कृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेणी-कृत
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• व्यकाशन्त: shone, appeared splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + काश्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• क्रौञ्चाः: krauncha birds (cranes/curlews)
• क्रौञ्चाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रौञ्च
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• श्रेणी-कृताः: arrayed in a line
• श्रेणी-कृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेणी-कृत
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• इव: as if, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (śarāḥ)
• gold ornamentation (hema)
• krauñca birds (krauñcāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a moral tension: warfare can display discipline and even visual beauty, yet its ethical reality is harm. The simile invites reflection on how outward splendor can mask destructive intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes volleys of gold-adorned arrows repeatedly descending in tight formation, comparing their ordered flight to a line of krauñca birds.