Shloka 10

Devanagari script

एते दीर्यन्ति सगणा: पठ्चालानां महारथा:

Transliteration

ete dīryanti sagaṇāḥ pāñcālānāṃ mahārathāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Diese großen Wagenkämpfer der Pāñcālas werden mitsamt ihren Scharen (in der Schlacht) zerrissen.“ Die Zeile betont den düsteren Sog des Krieges: Selbst berühmte Helden, von Truppen gestützt, werden durch die unerbittliche Gewalt des Kurukṣetra-Konflikts niedergerieben.

Word by Word

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

• दीर्यन्ति: are being split / are breaking apart
• Type: Verb
• Root: दॄ (दीर्यते)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada, Passive/Intransitive (middle usage)

• सगणाः: together with their troops/retinues
• सगणाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सगण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पाञ्चालानाम्: of the Panchalas
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चाल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• महारथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāñcālas
• mahārathas (elite chariot-warriors)
• gaṇas (companies/retinues)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: status and martial excellence do not shield anyone from destruction. It implicitly warns that collective pride in force (even with strong retinues) collapses before the brutal reality of battle, inviting reflection on the human cost behind heroic labels like “mahāratha.”

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reports that the Pāñcāla contingent’s foremost chariot-warriors, along with their supporting troops, are being shattered in the ongoing fighting—signaling a severe setback and intensification of slaughter.