Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ते भारतमहामात्र पाण्डवानां महारथ: । जेतुं नोत्सहते कक्षिन्नाभ्युद्यातुं कंचन

Transliteration

te bhāratamahāmātra pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathaḥ | jetuṃ notsahate kakṣin nābhyudyātuṃ kaṃcana

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O großer Minister der Bhāratas, jener mächtige Wagenkrieger findet nicht den Mut, die Pāṇḍavas zu besiegen; ja, er erhebt sich nicht einmal, um irgendwen herauszufordern.“

Word by Word

तेthey

भारतO Bharata

महामात्रO great minister/official

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pandavas

महारथःthe great chariot-warrior

जेतुम्to conquer

नnot

उत्सहतेdares / is able

कश्चित्anyone

नnot

अभ्युद्यातुम्to rise up against / to attack

कञ्चनanyone (at all)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍavas

Bhārata (addressee)

Mahāmātra (addressee/title)

Mahāratha (unnamed great warrior)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical and psychological dimension of warfare: even a top-ranked warrior (mahāratha) may lack the inner resolve to fight, suggesting that victory depends not only on strength but also on conviction, duty-consciousness, and moral clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to a senior authority in the Kuru court that a prominent warrior, though capable, is unwilling to confront the Pāṇḍavas and does not step forward to engage anyone—indicating hesitation or loss of fighting spirit at a critical moment.