Mahabharata — Drona Parva, Shloka 6

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda

Arrow-storm Engagement

Devanagari script

पताकाश्व ततस्तास्तु श्वसनेन समीरिता:

Transliteration

patākāśva tatastāstu śvasanena samīritāḥ

Translation

三阇耶说道：随后，那些旌旗与战马都动了起来，仿佛被它们喷吐的气息之力所激荡——这是战场躁动之势的写照：连武荣的标志（旗帜）与战争的器具（战马）也在将临的杀伐之前，回应着生命与奋力的奔涌。

Word by Word

• पताकाः: flags, banners
• पताकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पताका
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• अथ: then, now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• ततः: thereupon, from there/then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ताः: those (fem. pl.)
• ताः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• श्वसनेन: by the blowing/breath (i.e., wind)
• श्वसनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वसन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• समीरिताः: set in motion, stirred, driven
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-ईरित
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• patākā (banners/flags)
• aśvāḥ (horses)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war’s intensity permeates everything: breath, movement, and symbols of honor. It invites reflection on the living force driving conflict—courage and exertion on one side, but also the tragic momentum that carries all beings and objects into violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a vivid battlefield moment: banners and horses are seen as moving or fluttering, driven by the horses’ heavy breathing and agitation, conveying the charged atmosphere as armies prepare or engage.