Shloka 50

Devanagari script

सात्यकिस्तु रणे राजंस्तावकानामनीकिनीम्‌ । अभिदुद्राव वेगेन ततोडनीकमभज्यत

Transliteration

sātyakis tu raṇe rājan tāvakānām anīkinīm | abhidudrāva vegena tato 'nīkam abhajyata ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O König, mitten im Getümmel stürmte Sātyaki mit voller Geschwindigkeit gegen dein Heer an. Vom Wuchtstoß seines Anritts getroffen, brach jene Abteilung auseinander—ein Zeichen dafür, dass im Krieg selbst disziplinierte Macht vor furchtlosem Entschluss und überlegenem Schwung zerfallen kann.

Word by Word

सात्यकिःSātyaki

तुbut/indeed

रणेin battle

राजन्O king

तावकानाम्of your (men)

अनीकिनीम्army/host

अभिदुद्रावrushed upon/charged at

वेगेनwith speed

ततःthen/thereupon

उदनीकम्the army/host

अभज्यतwas broken/scattered

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

सात्यकि (Sātyaki/Yuyudhāna)

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

र

राजन् (the King: Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)

त

तावकाः (the Kaurava forces, 'your side')

अ

अनीकिनी / अनीक (army/division)

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 a recurring Mahābhārata insight: in righteous warfare, courage, skill, and decisive action can overturn numerical strength. It also underscores the ethical weight of kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness and initiative in the face of danger—while warning that armies without cohesion can quickly collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Sātyaki, fighting on the Pāṇḍava side, rushed swiftly into the Kaurava host. His rapid assault causes a Kaurava troop-division/formation to break apart.