Mahabharata — Drona Parva, Shloka 363

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda

Arrow-storm Engagement

Devanagari script

अदृश्यांस्तावकान्‌ योधानू्‌ प्रचक्रे शत्रुतापन: । उस समय शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले नरव्याप्र अर्जुनने अपने छोड़े हुए सहस्तरों बाणोंद्वारा आपके योद्धाओंको अदृश्य कर दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

adṛśyāṁs tāvakān yodhān pracakre śatrutāpanaḥ |

Translation

三阇耶说道：焚灼仇敌的阿周那使陛下的勇士仿佛隐没无形——他所放出的千百箭雨如洪流倾泻，将他们尽数覆盖、压倒，以至于目不能见。于这场战争的道德氛围中，此象征昭示：武勇一旦系于誓愿与所择之因，纵使强者亦可在其所依附阵营的业果之中变得无力而湮没。

Word by Word

• अदृश्यान्: invisible
• अदृश्यान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदृश्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तावकान्: your (belonging to you)
• तावकान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• योधान्: warriors
• योधान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योद्धृ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रचक्रे: made, rendered
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शत्रुतापनः: the tormentor of enemies (Arjuna)
• शत्रुतापनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रुतापन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tāvakān')
• Kaurava warriors (tāvakāḥ yodhāḥ)
• arrows (implied by the narrative context of being made 'invisible')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the overwhelming force of disciplined martial skill in a dharma-war setting: when power is aligned with a determined purpose, it can nullify the opponent’s agency—symbolically making them 'invisible' amid the results of their own alignment and choices.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, famed as a 'scorcher of enemies,' unleashes such a dense barrage of arrows that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s warriors are effectively hidden from view—covered, confused, and dominated by the arrow-storm on the battlefield.