Mahabharata 7.47.7 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 47, Shloka 7

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system

Devanagari script

तांस्तु सर्वान्‌ महेष्वासान्‌ सर्वविद्यासु निष्ठितान्‌ व्यष्टम्भयद्‌ रणे बाणै: सौभद्र: परवीरहा

Transliteration

tāṁs tu sarvān maheṣvāsān sarvavidyāsu niṣṭhitān vyaṣṭambhayad raṇe bāṇaiḥ saubhadraḥ paravīrahā

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Nhưng Abhimanyu, con của Subhadrā—kẻ diệt các dũng sĩ địch—đã dùng tên của mình chặn đứng và làm choáng váng tất cả những cung thủ vĩ đại ấy, những người tinh thông mọi môn võ nghệ, ngay giữa chiến địa.

Word by Word

• तान्: those (men)
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• महेष्वासान्: great bowmen
• महेष्वासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सर्वविद्यासु: in all sciences/arts
• सर्वविद्यासु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वविद्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• निष्ठितान्: well-established/proficient
• निष्ठितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-स्था
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural, Past passive participle (kta)

• व्यष्टम्भयत्: stunned/checked/held back
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-स्तम्भ्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• सौभद्रः: the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu)
• सौभद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परवीरहा: slayer of enemy heroes
• परवीरहा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परवीरहन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Abhimanyu (Saubhadra)
• Subhadrā
• enemy great archers (maheṣvāsa-s)
• arrows (bāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes that true prowess is grounded in disciplined training (niṣṭhā) and mastery of skills, yet it also points to the ethical gravity of such mastery when applied in war—ability can restrain and overwhelm, but it also serves the destructive momentum of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu confronts a group of highly accomplished enemy archers and, through a rapid and effective shower of arrows, halts their advance and renders them momentarily ineffective on the battlefield.