Shloka 76

Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)

Devanagari script

तदादाय धनु: श्रेष्ठ वरिष्ठ: सर्वधन्विनाम्‌

Transliteration

tadādāya dhanuḥ śreṣṭhaṃ variṣṭhaḥ sarva-dhanvinām

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Cầm lấy cây cung tối thượng ấy—đệ nhất trong mọi vũ khí của cung thủ—bậc đứng đầu các tay cung chuẩn bị hành động, báo hiệu quyết tâm dứt khoát và trách nhiệm võ nghiệp mà dharma nghiệt ngã của chiến tranh đòi hỏi.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रेष्ठम्: best, excellent
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वरिष्ठः: the most excellent (one)
• वरिष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरिष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वधन्विनाम्: of all archers
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वधन्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• bow (dhanuḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the ethic of decisive responsibility in a righteous battle: the foremost warrior takes up the finest weapon, embodying readiness to fulfill kṣatriya-duty with resolve rather than hesitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that the pre-eminent archer (implied from the surrounding context) takes up an excellent bow, marking a moment of preparation and escalation within the battlefield action.