Mahabharata 7.141.33 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 141, Shloka 33

Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana

Devanagari script

गार्ध्रपत्रानु शिलाधौतान्‌ कार्तस्वरविभूषितान्‌

Transliteration

gārdhrapatrānu śilādhautān kārtasvaravibhūṣitān

Translation

桑阇耶说道：“（那些箭）以鹫羽为翎，经石磨而光滑，并以纯金装饰。”

Word by Word

• गार्ध्रपत्रान्: having vulture-feathers / vulture-feathered (ones)
• गार्ध्रपत्रान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गार्ध्रपत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अनु: along, following, in accordance with
• अनु: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु

• शिलाधौतान्: stone-polished / polished with a stone
• शिलाधौतान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिलाधौत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कार्तस्वरविभूषितान्: adorned with gold
• कार्तस्वरविभूषितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्तस्वरविभूषित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• vulture-feathers
• stone (as polishing medium)
• pure gold

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war is sustained not only by courage but by deliberate preparation—skillful craftsmanship and lavish ornamentation that can glamorize violence. It invites ethical reflection on how beauty and prestige may be used to dignify instruments of harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing battle equipment—most naturally arrows—highlighting their feathering (with vulture plumes), their careful polishing on stone, and their decoration with pure gold, emphasizing the intensity and high martial display of the conflict.