Shloka 119

Devanagari script

एते द्रवन्ति पञ्चाला दिक्षु सर्वासु भारत । कण््त्रि समरे प्राप्य दुर्निवार्यमनात्मभि:

Transliteration

ete dravanti pañcālā dikṣu sarvāsu bhārata | karṇi samare prāpya durnivāryam anātmabhiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Bhārata, die Pāñcālas fliehen in alle Richtungen. Da sie Karṇa im Kampf begegnet sind – unwiderstehlich und nicht aufzuhalten –, verlieren sie die Selbstbeherrschung und stieben auseinander.“

Word by Word

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

• द्रवन्ति: run / flee
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु (द्रवति)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पञ्चालाः: the Panchalas
• पञ्चालाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चाल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दिक्षु: in the directions
• दिक्षु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• सर्वासु: in all
• सर्वासु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कर्णम्: Karna
• कर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्राप्य: having reached / encountering
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• दुर्निवार्यम्: irresistible / hard to ward off
• दुर्निवार्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्निवार्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अनात्मभिः: by the faint-hearted / by those lacking self-control
• अनात्मभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra addressed)
• Pāñcālas
• Karṇa
• battle (samara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how loss of inner discipline (ātma-saṃyama) collapses courage under pressure: when faced with an overwhelming force, those who cannot steady the mind become scattered. In the epic’s ethical frame, battlefield success is tied not only to strength but also to self-mastery.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāñcāla forces are breaking formation and fleeing in all directions after meeting Karṇa in combat, describing Karṇa as a force that is difficult to resist and portraying the Pāñcālas as losing composure.