Shloka 24

कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory

Devanagari script

ते बाणा: समसज्जन्त मुक्तास्ताभ्यां तु भारत

Transliteration

te bāṇāḥ samasajjanta muktās tābhyāṃ tu bhārata

Translation

三阇耶说道：噢，婆罗多啊，那些箭矢——装配妥帖、蓄势待发——被二人同时放出；战场的暴烈由此收紧为一场直面较量，较的是技艺与决心。

Word by Word

• ते: those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बाणाः: arrows
• बाणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समसज्जन्त: were fixed/attached (together)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + सज्ज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मुक्ताः: released/shot
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त)

• ताभ्याम्: by those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

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

• भारत: O Bhārata
• Type: Noun (vocative epithet)
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds disciplined action: weapons are not merely hurled, but carefully prepared and then released. In the epic’s ethical frame, this points to kṣatriya conduct—skill, readiness, and deliberate execution—where consequences follow from controlled intent rather than impulsive violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two warriors (implied from context) have readied their arrows and shot them. The line functions as a rapid battlefield transition, marking the start or intensification of a focused exchange of missiles.