Shloka 20

Devanagari script

स छिन्नथन्वा परिघं वज्रस्पर्शसमं युधि । आदाय चिक्षेप तदा द्रोणपुत्र: किरीटिने,धनुष कट जानेपर द्रोणपुत्रने युद्धस्थलमें एक ऐसा परिघ हाथमें लिया, जिसका स्पर्श वज्रके समान कठोर था। उसने उस परिघको तत्काल ही किरीटधारी अर्जुनपर दे मारा

Transliteration

sa chinnathanvā parighaṃ vajrasparśasamaṃ yudhi | ādāya cikṣepa tadā droṇaputraḥ kirīṭine ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Khi cây cung bị chém đứt, con trai của Droṇa liền giữa trận mạc nắm lấy một cây chùy sắt (parigha) cứng như chạm vào lôi đình, rồi lập tức ném thẳng về phía Arjuna đội mũ miện.

Word by Word

सःhe

छिन्न-धन्वाwhose bow was cut/broken

परिघम्iron club/bar (parigha)

वज्र-स्पर्श-समम्having touch like a thunderbolt (very hard)

युधिin battle

आदायhaving taken (up)

चिक्षेपthrew

तदाthen

द्रोण-पुत्रःDrona's son (Ashvatthaman)

किरीटिनेto the diadem-wearer (Arjuna)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇaputra (Aśvatthāmā)

Kirīṭin (Arjuna)

parigha (iron club)

vajra (thunderbolt)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In the pressure of war, the loss of one’s main support (here, the bow) can provoke a turn to harsher measures; the episode highlights the ethical strain on warriors to maintain discipline and judgment even as violence escalates.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aśvatthāmā, after his bow is cut, grabs a heavy iron club (parigha), described as thunderbolt-hard, and immediately hurls it at Arjuna, who is identified by his diadem (kirīṭin).