Mahabharata 9.21.273 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 273

Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ

Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements

Devanagari script

हतसूते हताश्वे तु विरथे कृतवर्मणि । जब कृतवर्माके घोड़े और सारथि मारे गये तथा वह रथहीन हो गया, तब आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनके मनमें बड़ा खेद हुआ

Transliteration

hatasūte hatāśve tu virathe kṛtavarmaṇi |

Translation

فلما قُتل سائقُ عربة كريتافَرما وخيولُه وبات بلا عربة، استولى على قلب ابنك دوريوذانا أسفٌ عظيم.

Word by Word

• हतसूते: when the charioteer was slain
• हतसूते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हतसूत
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• हताश्वे: when the horses were slain
• हताश्वे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हताश्व
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• विरथे: when (he was) without a chariot
• विरथे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरथ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कृतवर्मणि: in/with regard to Kṛtavarman
• कृतवर्मणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kṛtavarman
• Duryodhana
• horses
• charioteer
• chariot

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the instability of worldly power in war: when external supports (chariot, horses, charioteer) collapse, the mind that is bound to victory and control falls into sorrow. It implicitly warns that attachment to outcomes intensifies suffering when circumstances change.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛtavarman has lost his horses and charioteer and become chariotless; seeing this setback, Duryodhana feels acute distress and regret.