Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 56

Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)

Devanagari script

धर्म्ये धर्मात्मना युद्धे निहतो धर्मसूनुना

Transliteration

dharmye dharmātmanā yuddhe nihato dharmasūnunā

Translation

Sañjaya said: In a righteous battle, he was slain by the son of Dharma—by one whose very nature is righteousness—underscoring that even in war, the outcome is framed within the demands of dharma.

Word by Word

• धर्म्ये: in the righteous (battle)
• धर्म्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• धर्मात्मना: by the righteous-souled one
• धर्मात्मना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• निहतः: slain
• निहतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मसूनुना: by Dharma's son
• धर्मसूनुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मसूनु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dharma (personified)
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmasūnu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames killing in war as morally intelligible only when the battle is 'dharmya' (aligned with dharma) and when the agent is guided by righteousness; it highlights the Mahābhārata’s insistence that even violence must be evaluated through ethical duty and moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that someone has been slain in a battle characterized as righteous, and the slayer is identified as 'Dharmasūnu'—the son of Dharma, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira—emphasizing the ethical framing of the event rather than merely its martial detail.