Shloka 14

भीमसेन-द्रोण-संग्रामः

Bhīmasena and Droṇa: Containment, Advance, and Recognition

Devanagari script

अथ दृष्टवा व्यतिक्रान्ती ज्वलिताविव पावकौ । निराशा: सिन्धुराजस्य जीवितं न शशंसिरे,दो प्रज्वलित अग्नियोंके समान सारी सेनाको लाँधकर खड़े हुए उन दोनों वीरोंको सकुशल देख आपके सैनिकोंने निराश होकर सिन्धुराजके जीवनकी आशा त्याग दी

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

अथthen

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

व्यतिक्रान्तौthe two who had crossed over/passed through

ज्वलितौblazing

इवlike/as

पावकौtwo fires

निराशाःhopeless/despairing

सिन्धुराजस्यof the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha)

जीवितम्life

नnot

शशंसिरेthey expected/foretold (for him)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Sindhurāja (Jayadratha)

the two heroes (unnamed in this verse)

the army/host (senā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

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.