Shloka 38

Devanagari script

नराश्वरथमातज़ा युधि गाण्डीवधन्चना । शयव्रातैश्वषिता रेजु: कदम्बा इव केसरै:

Transliteration

narāśvarathamātaṅgā yudhi gāṇḍīvadhanvanā | śaravrātaiś chaviṣitā rejūḥ kadambā iva kesaraiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Trên chiến địa, người, ngựa, chiến xa và voi—bị những loạt tên của Arjuna, kẻ cầm cung Gāṇḍīva, xuyên thủng—trông như được trang sức lạ lùng, tựa hoa kadamba rực lên bởi nhụy vàng.

Word by Word

• नर: men
• नर: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्व: horses
• अश्व: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रथ: chariots
• रथ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मातङ्गाः: elephants
• मातङ्गाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: युध्
• Form: Locative adverb (from noun yudh- 'battle')

• गाण्डीवधन्वना: by the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow (Arjuna)
• गाण्डीवधन्वना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाण्डीवधन्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• शरव्रातैः: by volleys/masses of arrows
• शरव्रातैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरव्रात
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वेष्टिताः: wrapped/covered (with)
• वेष्टिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेष्टित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त), from √वेष्ट्

• रेजुः: shone, appeared splendid
• रेजुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √राज्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कदम्बाः: kadamba trees/flowers
• कदम्बाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कदम्ब
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव
• Form: Particle of comparison

• केसरैः: with filaments (stamens)
• केसरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: केसर
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Gāṇḍīva (bow)
• battlefield
• men (warriors)
• horses
• chariots
• elephants
• arrows
• kadamba flowers

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how martial skill can make scenes of destruction appear visually ‘ornamented,’ prompting reflection on the ethical gravity of war: aesthetic brilliance and heroic prowess do not neutralize the suffering and moral burden inherent in violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s intense arrow-fire on the battlefield: warriors, horses, chariots, and elephants are riddled with arrows, and the protruding shafts are compared to the stamens of kadamba flowers, creating a vivid and unsettling image of the carnage.