Shloka 163

नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च

Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault

Devanagari script

ध्वजयष्टिं परिक्लिश्य कामुक: कामिनीं यथा । महाराज! उस बाणसे अत्यन्त घायल हुआ शकुनि, जैसे कामी पुरुष कामिनीका आलिंगन करता है, उसी प्रकार ध्वज-यष्टि (ध्वजाके डंडे)-को दोनों भुजाओंसे पकड़कर रथके पिछले भागमें बैठ गया

Transliteration

dhvajayaṣṭiṃ parikliśya kāmukaḥ kāminīṃ yathā | mahārāja! us bāṇase atyanta ghāyala huā śakuni, jaise kāmī puruṣa kāminīkā āliṅgana kartā hai, usī prakāra dhvaja-yaṣṭi (dhvajāke daṇḍe)-ko donoṃ bhujāoṃse pakaṛakara rathake pichale bhāgameṃ baiṭh gayā |

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Tâu Đại vương, bị mũi tên ấy làm trọng thương, Śakuni ôm chặt cán cờ bằng cả hai tay rồi khuỵu xuống ngồi ở phía sau xe—như kẻ đàn ông bị dục vọng thúc đẩy ôm lấy người đàn bà. Lối ví von ấy cho thấy giữa hỗn loạn chiến tranh, ngay cả kẻ kiêu ngạo cũng bị hạ xuống thành bản năng bấu víu tìm chỗ tựa, phơi bày sự mong manh của thân xác và vẻ xấu xí đạo đức mà bạo lực lột trần.

Word by Word

• ध्वज: banner/flag
• ध्वज: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यष्टिम्: staff/pole
• यष्टिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• परिक्लिश्य: having grasped/held tightly (lit. having clung/strained around)
• परिक्लिश्य: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि+क्लिश्
• Form: Absolutive (त्वान्त/ल्यप्), Parasmaipada (usage)

• कामुकः: a lustful man/lover
• कामुकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामुक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कामिनीम्: a beloved woman
• कामिनीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामिनी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as/just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Śakuni
• dhvaja-yaṣṭi (flagstaff)
• bāṇa (arrow)
• ratha (chariot)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights human vulnerability in war: when struck by violence, even a calculating warrior like Śakuni instinctively clings to support. The deliberately coarse simile suggests that war strips away dignity and reveals the compulsions of the body and mind, inviting ethical reflection on the degrading nature of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śakuni has been badly wounded by an arrow. In pain, he grips the chariot’s flagstaff with both arms and sits/collapses into the rear of the chariot for support.