Mahabharata 7.103.14 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 103, Shloka 14

भीमसेन-द्रोण-संग्रामः

Bhīmasena and Droṇa: Containment, Advance, and Recognition

Devanagari script

अथ दृष्टवा व्यतिक्रान्ती ज्वलिताविव पावकौ । निराशा: सिन्धुराजस्य जीवितं न शशंसिरे

Transliteration

atha dṛṣṭvā vyatikrāntī jvalitāv iva pāvakau | nirāśāḥ sindhurājasya jīvitaṃ na śaśaṃsire ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Dann, als sie jene beiden Helden sahen, die das ganze Heer überschritten hatten und wie zwei Feuer loderten, verloren deine Krieger die Hoffnung und erwarteten nicht länger das Überleben des Sindhu-Königs.“

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• व्यतिक्रान्तौ: the two who had crossed over/passed through
• व्यतिक्रान्तौ: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यतिक्रान्त (वि+अति+क्रम्)
• Form: masculine, accusative, dual

• ज्वलितौ: blazing
• ज्वलितौ: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वलित (ज्वल्)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), masculine, accusative, dual

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• पावकौ: two fires
• पावकौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक
• Form: masculine, accusative, dual

• निराशाः: hopeless/despairing
• निराशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराश
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• सिन्धुराजस्य: of the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिन्धुराज
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• जीवितम्: life
• जीवितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• शशंसिरे: they expected/foretold (for him)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस्
• Form: लिट् (perfect), आत्मनेपद, third, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sindhurāja (Jayadratha)
• the two heroes (unnamed in this verse)
• the army/host (senā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how morale in war hinges on perceived inevitability: when exceptional warriors breach an army’s defenses, collective confidence collapses, and the leader’s survival becomes the focal point of hope and despair.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava soldiers see two formidable fighters standing after cutting through the army like blazing fires; witnessing this, they abandon hope that the Sindhu king (Jayadratha) will remain alive.