Shloka 42

अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel

Devanagari script

ततः स रथियनां श्रेष्ठस्तव पुत्रस्य सारथिम्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ sa rathiyānāṃ śreṣṭhas tava putrasya sārathim

Translation

قال سانجيا: ثم إنَّ ذلك المتقدّم بين فرسان المركبات وجّه نظره إلى سائق مركبة ابنِك—في تحوّلٍ حاسمٍ في مجرى القتال.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथिनाम्: of the chariot-warriors
• रथिनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठः: the best, foremost
• श्रेष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• पुत्रस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सारथिम्: charioteer
• सारथिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारथि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son (Duryodhana implied)
• the charioteer of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son
• the foremost chariot-warrior (unnamed in this fragment)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in heroic warfare, outcomes hinge on coordinated roles: the warrior’s prowess must be matched by the charioteer’s steadiness, judgment, and loyalty—highlighting ethical responsibility and interdependence in action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a leading chariot-warrior moves to engage or address the charioteer of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, signaling a tactical moment where attention shifts from the prince to the one steering and supporting him.