Shloka 45

शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12

Devanagari script

नानारूपाणि शस्त्राणि विसृजन्तो महारथा:

Transliteration

nānārūpāṇi śastrāṇi visṛjanto mahārathāḥ

Translation

桑阇耶说道：那些伟大的战车武士抛掷各式各样的兵刃，推动战局不断向前——这正是战争无情势头的写照：武勇与职责并非出于个人任性，而是在严整的杀伐中被宣示出来。

Word by Word

• नाना-रूपाणि: of various forms
• नाना-रूपाणि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• शस्त्राणि: weapons
• शस्त्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• विसृजन्तः: hurling / releasing
• विसृजन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: Present (वर्तमान), Plural, Parasmaipada, Masculine, Nominative

• महा-रथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महा-रथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• śastrāṇi (weapons)
• mahārathāḥ (great chariot-warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic: in the kṣatriya sphere, action is expressed through trained skill and adherence to martial duty. It also hints at the impersonal, escalating nature of conflict—many weapons, many forms—where discipline and role-based dharma govern conduct even amid destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that elite chariot-warriors are actively engaging in combat, releasing a variety of weapons. The verse functions as a vivid battlefield snapshot, emphasizing intensity and the presence of top-tier fighters.