Shloka 31

Devanagari script

स्कन्धदेशस्थितैर्बाणै: शिखण्डी तु व्ययाजत

Transliteration

skandhadeśasthitair bāṇaiḥ śikhaṇḍī tu vyayājata

Translation

భుజప్రదేశమున బాణములు గుచ్చుకొని ఉన్నప్పటికీ శిఖండీ తేజస్సుతో విరాజిల్లెను.

Word by Word

• स्कन्धदेशस्थितैः: placed in the shoulder-region
• स्कन्धदेशस्थितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्कन्धदेशस्थित
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: with arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शिखण्डी: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• व्ययाजत: sacrificed/worshipped
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śikhaṇḍī
• arrows
• shoulder (skandha-deśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness under suffering in the performance of one’s appointed duty (kṣatriya-dharma). Even when wounded, the warrior’s resolve not to yield becomes a moral image of endurance—though set within the harsh, tragic framework of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī has been struck so that arrows are lodged in his shoulder area, yet he remains firm on the battlefield, continuing to face the enemy rather than retreating.