Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 23

Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira

Book 9, Chapter 11

Devanagari script

एकैकं दशभिर्बाणैविव्याध स महाबल: । ततो5सृजद्‌ बाणवर्ष घर्मान्ति मघवानिव

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | ekaikaṃ daśabhir bāṇair vivyādha sa mahābalaḥ | tato 'sṛjad bāṇavarṣaṃ gharmānte maghavān iva |

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Vị dũng sĩ đại lực ấy đã bắn mỗi người mười mũi tên, khiến ai nấy đều bị thương. Rồi ông trút xuống một trận mưa tên, như Indra (Maghavān) đổ mưa vào cuối mùa nóng.

Word by Word

• एकैकम्: each one (each individually)
• एकैकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकैक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

• विव्याध: pierced, wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाबलः: mighty-strong
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• असृजत्: he released, let loose
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3, Singular

• बाणवर्षम्: a shower of arrows
• बाणवर्षम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाणवर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• घर्मान्ते: at the end of summer
• घर्मान्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: घर्मान्त
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• मघवान्: Maghavan (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मघवन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Indra (Maghavān)
• arrows (bāṇa)
• shower of arrows (bāṇavarṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the impersonal force of warfare: extraordinary skill can rapidly inflict harm on many, and such power becomes a severe test of dharma—whether warriors maintain discipline, restraint, and duty even amid escalating violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a mighty fighter who first wounds each opponent with ten arrows, then intensifies the assault by releasing a continuous ‘rain’ of arrows, compared to Indra’s rains arriving after the heat of summer.