Shloka 44

Devanagari script

विषवन्तो महाराज नागाश्चार्जुनतो5भवन्‌ | ऐरावता: सौरभेया वैशालेयाश्ष भोगिन:

Transliteration

viṣavanto mahārāja nāgāś cārjunato 'bhavan | airāvatāḥ saurabheyā vaiśāleyāś ca bhoginaḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：“大王啊，从阿周那那里涌现出含毒之蛇——强大的那伽，包含爱罗婆多族、娑罗婆诃耶族与毗舍罗耶族——盘绕翻腾，宛如可怖的‘缠身者’（bhogin）。”

Word by Word

• विषवन्तः: poisonous
• विषवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नागाः: serpents (Nāgas)
• नागाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• अर्जुनतः: from Arjuna
• अर्जुनतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अभवन्: became / came to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Plural

• ऐरावताः: Airāvatas (a class/lineage of Nāgas)
• ऐरावताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐरावत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सौरभेयाः: Saurabheyas (a class/lineage of Nāgas)
• सौरभेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौरभेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वैशालेयाः: Vaiśāleyas (a class/lineage of Nāgas)
• वैशालेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशालेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• भोगिनः: serpents (hooded ones)
• भोगिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोगिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Arjuna
• Nāgas (serpents)
• Airāvata nāgas
• Saurabheya nāgas
• Vaiśāleya nāgas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how violence in war is experienced as a force of dread and poison-like harm: even a righteous warrior’s power can appear terrifying, reminding the listener that battle magnifies suffering and demands sober ethical reflection on consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s onslaught is being described through a vivid image: venomous nāgas of various named groups seem to ‘arise from’ Arjuna—an epic metaphor for the deadly, overwhelming nature of his attack on the battlefield.