Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 95 Shloka 42 - Mahabharata | Chinese | Vedapath

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Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 42

कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः

Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative

Devanagari script

काकुदीकं शुक॑ नाकमक्षिसंतर्जनं तथा । संतान॑ नर्तक॑ घोरमास्यमोदकमष्टमम्‌

Transliteration

kākudīkaṃ śuka nākam akṣi-santarjanaṃ tathā | santānaṃ nartakaṃ ghoraṃ āsyamodakam aṣṭamam ||

Translation

罗摩说道：“卡库迪迦（Kākudīka）、舒迦（Śuka）、那迦（Nāka）、阿克希·桑塔尔迦那（Akṣi-santarjana）、桑塔那（Santāna）、那尔塔迦（Nartaka）、戈罗（Ghora），以及第八种阿斯亚摩达迦（Āsyamodaka）——这八种便是不同类别的神兵（astras）。”

Word by Word

काकुदीकम्Kākudīka (a weapon-name)

शुकम्Śuka (a weapon-name)

नाकम्Nāka (a weapon-name)

अक्षि-संतर्जनम्eye-terrifying (weapon-name)

तथाand also; likewise

संतानम्Santāna (a weapon-name)

नर्तकम्Nartaka (a weapon-name)

घोरम्Ghora (a weapon-name)

आस्य-मोदकम्mouth-delighting (weapon-name)

अष्टमम्the eighth

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Rāma

Kākudīka astra

Śuka astra

Nāka astra

Akṣi-santarjana astra

Santāna astra

Nartaka astra

Ghora astra

Āsyamodaka astra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that mastery of astras includes powers that can induce sleep, delusion, madness, and terror—abilities that demand restraint and ethical discernment, since such force can overwhelm an enemy not only physically but also mentally.

What is happening in the narrative?

Rāma is enumerating a set of eight named astras, presenting them as a recognized classification of formidable weapons within the epic’s martial lore.