Shloka 12

Devanagari script

सात्यकि: सप्तविंशत्या द्रौणिं विदृध्वा शिलीमुखै: । पुनर्विव्याध नाराचै: सप्तभि: स्वर्णभूषितै:,सात्यकिने सत्ताईस बाणोंसे अश्वत्थामाको घायल करके पुनः सात स्वर्णभूषित नाराचोंद्वारा उसे बींध डाला

Transliteration

sātyakiḥ saptaviṃśatyā drauṇiṃ vidṛdhvā śilīmukhaiḥ | punar vivyādha nārācaiḥ saptabhiḥ svarṇabhūṣitaiḥ ||

Translation

సాత్యకి ఇరవైఏడు శిలీముఖ బాణాలతో ద్రోణపుత్రుడు అశ్వత్థామను గాయపరచి, మళ్లీ ఏడు స్వర్ణభూషిత నారాచ బాణాలతో అతనిని ఛేదించాడు।

Word by Word

सात्यकिःSatyaki

सप्तविंशत्याwith twenty-seven (arrows)

द्रौणिम्Drona's son (Ashvatthaman)

विदृध्वाhaving wounded / having struck

शिलीमुखैःwith sharp arrows (shilimukhas)

पुनःagain

विव्याधpierced

नाराचैःwith iron arrows (narachas)

सप्तभिःwith seven

स्वर्णभूषितैःadorned with gold

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Sātyaki

Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)

śilīmukha (arrows)

nārāca (arrows)

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 highlights the uncompromising momentum of kṣatriya warfare: once engaged, a warrior presses advantage through repeated, precise strikes. Ethically, it reflects the tension between martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the grave human cost—here intensified because the target is the son of a revered teacher (Droṇa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki first wounds Aśvatthāman with twenty-seven arrows and then follows up by piercing him again with seven gold-ornamented nārāca shafts, emphasizing Sātyaki’s aggressive, sustained assault in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.