Shloka 53

Devanagari script

निमेषार्धेन कौन्तेय आत्तमात्तं महारणे

Transliteration

nimeṣārdhena kaunteya āttamāttaṃ mahāraṇe

Translation

سنجے نے کہا—اے کونتی پتر! مہارَن میں پلک جھپکنے کے آدھے لمحے میں ہی پکڑا ہوا ہتھیار بھی (حریف نے) پلٹ کر چھین لیا۔

Word by Word

• निमेषार्धेन: by (in) half a blink
• निमेषार्धेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमेषार्ध
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कौन्तेय: O son of Kunti
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौन्तेय
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• आत्तम्: seized, taken up
• आत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आत्तम्: seized, taken up
• आत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महारणे: in the great battle
• महारणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kaunteya (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the razor-fast reversals possible in righteous combat: skill, alertness, and presence of mind can instantly overturn advantage. Ethically, it underscores the seriousness of kṣatriya duty—battle is not mere violence but a disciplined arena where mastery and restraint matter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where, almost instantaneously, a weapon that had been seized is seized back—conveying the speed and intensity of the duel and the exceptional martial prowess of the fighters involved.