Mahabharata 9.58.576 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 58, Shloka 576

Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana

The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint

Devanagari script

प्राकम्पन्त ततो राजंस्तव पुत्रे निपातिते । राजन! आपके पुत्रके धराशायी हो जानेपर वहाँ अस्त्र-शस्त्र और ध्वजावाले सभी वीर काँपने लगे

Transliteration

prākampanta tato rājan tava putre nipātite |

Translation

أيها الملك، حين سقط ابنك صريعًا وطرحته الضربة على الأرض، أخذ المحاربون هناك—حملة السلاح والرايات—يرتجفون.

Word by Word

• प्राकम्पन्त: trembled, shook
• प्राकम्पन्त: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कम्प्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

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

• पुत्रे: when/while (your) son (was)
• पुत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• निपातिते: having been felled/slain
• निपातिते: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + पत्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• राजन् / King (addressed)
• तव पुत्र (the king's son)
• अस्त्र-शस्त्र (weapons)
• ध्वज (banner/standard)
• वीर (warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the instability of worldly power and the psychological reality of war: when a key figure falls, even armed and bannered heroes can lose steadiness. It implicitly warns that pride in strength is unreliable and that violence rapidly produces fear, grief, and collapse of confidence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a king and describes the battlefield reaction: after the king’s son is felled and lies on the ground, the surrounding warriors—despite their weapons and standards—begin to tremble, indicating shock and a sudden weakening of the army’s morale.