Shloka 21

Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्

Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma

Devanagari script

तस्याश्चांश्व॒तुरो हत्वा सूत॑ं च नवभि: शरै:

Transliteration

tasyāś cāṁś caturō hatvā sūtaṁ ca navabhiḥ śaraiḥ

Translation

เขาสังหารม้าทั้งสี่ของฝ่ายนั้น แล้วแทงสารถีด้วยศรเก้าดอก

Word by Word

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अंश्वतुरः: the horsemen (mounted warriors)
• अंश्वतुरः: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश्वतुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• हत्वा: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• सूतम्: the charioteer
• सूतम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• नवभिः: with nine
• नवभिः: करण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• शरैः: arrows
• शरैः: करण
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• सूत (charioteer)
• अंश/अश्व (horses)
• शर (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring epic reality: in war, disabling an enemy’s means of movement and coordination (horses and charioteer) can be decisive. Ethically, it underscores the tension between strategic necessity and the harshness of violence, a central concern in the Mahābhārata’s reflection on kṣatriya-dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a combat moment in which a warrior first kills four horses of an opponent’s chariot and then strikes the charioteer with nine arrows, effectively crippling the chariot’s operation and shifting the balance of the encounter.