Shloka 42

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention

Devanagari script

ये त्वेते रथिनो राजन्‌ दृश्यन्ते काड्चनध्वजा:

Transliteration

ye tv ete rathino rājan dṛśyante kāñcanadhvajāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O König, jene Wagenkrieger, die man dort erblickt, tragen goldene Banner…“

Word by Word

• ये: who/which (those)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• एते: these
• एते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रथिनः: chariot-warriors
• रथिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Present, Atmanepada (passive sense), Third, Plural

• काञ्चनध्वजाः: having golden banners
• काञ्चनध्वजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काञ्चनध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• rathinaḥ (chariot-warriors)
• kāñcanadhvajāḥ (golden banners/standards)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models disciplined witnessing: Sañjaya reports what is visible on the battlefield without immediate judgment, reminding the listener that in war, appearances (like golden banners) signal status and intent, yet must be assessed with clarity rather than emotion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and begins identifying or describing the chariot-warriors present, marked by golden standards, as part of his ongoing battlefield report in the Droṇa Parva.