Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

विनिर्भिन्ना: शितैर्बाणैर्गदातोमरशक्तिभि: । अश्वत्थामा कृपश्चैव कृतवर्मा च सात्वत:

Transliteration

vinirbhinnāḥ śitair bāṇair gadātomaraśaktibhiḥ | aśvatthāmā kṛpaś caiva kṛtavarmā ca sātvatāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Bị xuyên thấu bởi những mũi tên sắc, lại bị đánh trúng bởi chùy, giáo tomara và lao śakti, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa và Kṛtavarmā thuộc dòng Sātvata đều mang thương tích nặng nề.

Word by Word

• विनिर्भिन्नाः: pierced, torn asunder
• विनिर्भिन्नाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनिर्भिन्न (वि-निर्-√भिद्, कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शितैः: sharp
• शितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शित
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

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

• गदा: with a mace
• गदा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• तोमर: with a javelin/spear
• तोमर: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोमर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• शक्तिभिः: with spears/lances
• शक्तिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• अश्वत्थामा: Ashvatthaman
• अश्वत्थामा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थामन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृपः: Kripa
• कृपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कृतवर्मा: Kritavarman
• कृतवर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सात्वतः: the Sātvata (i.e., Satyaki/one of the Sātvatas)
• सात्वतः: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सात्वत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Aśvatthāmā
• Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
• Kṛtavarmā
• bāṇa (arrows)
• gadā (mace)
• tomara (spear)
• śakti (javelin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the brutal impartiality of war: even renowned warriors are reduced to wounded bodies under a rain of weapons. Implicitly, it warns that when conflict escalates beyond restraint, suffering multiplies and dharma becomes harder to uphold amid rage and retaliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that key Kaurava-aligned fighters—Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, and Kṛtavarmā—have been grievously pierced and struck by various weapons (arrows, maces, spears, javelins) during the ongoing battle.