ततः कनकपुङ्खानां शराणां नतपर्वणाम् ॥
धनुश्च्युतानां वियति ददृशे बहुधा व्रजः ॥
शरासनाद् आधिरथेः प्रभवन्तः स्म सायकाः ॥
श्रेणीकृता व्यराजन्त राजन् क्रौञ्चा इवाम्बरे ॥
गार्ध्रपत्राञ् शिलाधौतान् कार्तस्वरविभूषितान् ॥
महावेगान् प्रदीप्ताग्रान् मुमोचाधिरथिः शरान् ॥
ते तु चापबलोद्धूताः शातकुम्भविभूषिताः ॥
अजस्रम् अन्वकीर्यन्त शराः पार्थरथं प्रति ॥
tataḥ kanakapuṅkhānāṃ śarāṇāṃ nataparvaṇām ||
dhanuścyutānāṃ viyati dadṛśe bahudhā vrajaḥ ||
śarāsanād ādhiratheḥ prabhavantaḥ sma sāyakāḥ ||
śreṇīkṛtā vyarājanta rājan krauñcā ivāmbare ||
gārdhrapatrāñ śilādhautān kārtasvaravibhūṣitān ||
mahāvegān pradīptāgrān mumocādhirathiḥ śarān ||
te tu cāpabaloddhūtāḥ śātakumbhavibhūṣitāḥ ||
ajasram anvakīryanta śarāḥ pārtharathaṃ prati ||
Then [of] the golden-feathered arrows [with] smooth joints, [that] flew [from] the bow, [in] the sky a plentiful swarm was seen. Arrows issuing forth [from] the bow of the son of Adhiratha, arrayed [into] rows, shone, O king, like krauncha-birds [in] the sky. [With] vulture-feathers, whetted [on] stone, adorned with gold, swift, [with] blazing points, the son of Adhiratha hurled arrows. They, [in turn], flung up by the bow's force, adorned with gold, ceaselessly showered — arrows — [toward] Partha's chariot.
b374515415ad · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:25:13 PM UTC
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Arrows arrayed in rows like migrating krauncha-birds conceal the archer himself behind an unbroken stream. It is telling that the beauty of the image — gold, a formation of birds, blazing points — clothes an unbroken, lethal downpour. The verse teaches that art which dazzles the eye is not vindicated by its own charm; rows of wondrous arrows, like a flock of birds, carry not song but death, and admiring them must not obscure their true cost.