Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सुवर्णकार्ष्णायसवर्मनद्धा नागा यथा हैमवता: प्रवृद्धा: तथा स शत्रून्‌ समरे विनिध्नन्‌ गाण्डीवधन्वा पुरुषप्रवीर:

Transliteration

suvarṇakārṣṇāyasavarmanaddhā nāgā yathā haimavatāḥ pravṛddhāḥ tathā sa śatrūn samare vinighnan gāṇḍīvadhanvā puruṣapravīraḥ

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：身披金与黑铁交织的甲胄，如同在喜马拉雅长成强健的巨那伽蛇，那人中最上者——执持甘狄婆弓的阿周那——在战阵拥挤之处击倒诸敌。

Word by Word

सुवर्णकार्ष्णायसवर्मनद्धाःbound/armored with golden and black-iron armor

नागाःelephants

यथाas, like

हैमवताःHimalayan

प्रवृद्धाःfully grown, greatly increased

तथाso, in the same way

सःhe

शत्रून्enemies

समरेin battle

विनिध्नन्striking down, slaying

गाण्डीवधन्वाthe wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow

पुरुषप्रवीरःa foremost hero among men

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Arjuna

Gāṇḍīva

Himālaya (Haimavata)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights controlled strength in righteous combat: a warrior’s power, protected by preparedness (armour) and guided by purpose, is to be applied decisively against foes in battle as part of kṣatriya-duty, not as uncontrolled violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes Arjuna in battle: clad in strong armour of gold and dark iron, he is compared to powerful Himalayan serpents, and he is depicted striking down enemies with his famed bow, the Gāṇḍīva.