Shloka 103

कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke

Devanagari script

निघ्नन्तमभिजन्नुस्ते शरै: शृद्जैरिवर्षभा: । उस समय संशप्तक वीर अत्यन्त रोषमें भरकर मैथुनकी इच्छावाली गायके लिये लड़नेवाले मदमत्त साँड़ोंके समान गर्जन एवं हुंकार करते हुए कुपित अर्जुनकी ओर टूट पड़े और जैसे साँड़ एक-दूसरेको सींगोंसे मारते हैं

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | nighnantam abhijannus te śaraiḥ śṛṅgair ivarṣabhāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Khi Arjuna đang đánh gục họ, các chiến binh Saṃśaptaka bừng bừng phẫn nộ, gầm rống và hò hét lao bổ vào Arjuna như những con bò đực đang động dục tranh giành một con bò cái; và như bò đực húc nhau bằng sừng, họ áp sát giao chiến, dồn dập bắn tên làm Arjuna bị thương.

Word by Word

• निघ्नन्तम्: striking, slaying (him)
• निघ्नन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: निघ्नत् (√हन्)
• Form: present active, masculine, accusative, singular

• अभिजन्नुस्ते: they were born/rose up against; they attacked
• अभिजन्नुस्ते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√जन्
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, plural, parasmaipada

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• शृङ्गैः: with horns
• शृङ्गैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शृङ्ग
• Form: neuter, instrumental, plural

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• वृषभाः: bulls
• वृषभाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Saṁśaptaka warriors
• arrows (śara)
• horns (śṛṅga)
• bulls (ṛṣabha)
• cow (implied by the simile: bulls fighting for a cow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how uncontrolled wrath and vow-driven obstinacy can eclipse discernment: courage without restraint becomes destructive, pushing warriors into futile, self-harming aggression even when dharma would demand measured action.

What is happening in the narrative?

While Arjuna is cutting down opponents, the Saṁśaptaka fighters surge toward him in anger, bellowing like rutting bulls; they press in and strike at him, wounding him with repeated arrow-shots amid fierce close-quarters combat.