Shloka 49

Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement

Devanagari script

एते चान्ये च निहता बहव: क्षत्रियर्षभा: । प्रातिकामी तथा पापो द्रौपद्या: क्लेशकृद्धतः,'ये तथा दूसरे बहुसंख्यक क्षत्रियशिरोमणि वीर मार डाले गये हैं। द्रौपदीको क्लेश पहुँचानेवाले पापी प्रातिकामीका भी वध हो चुका है

Transliteration

ete cānye ca nihatā bahavaḥ kṣatriyarṣabhāḥ | prātikāmī tathā pāpo draupadyāḥ kleśakṛd dhataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Diese und viele andere—Stiere unter den Kṣatriyas—sind erschlagen worden. Und auch Prātikāmī—sündig und berüchtigt dafür, Draupadī Leid zugefügt zu haben—ist getötet.“

Word by Word

एतेthese

चand

अन्येothers

चand

निहताःslain

बहवःmany

क्षत्रियर्षभाःbulls among kshatriyas (foremost warriors)

प्रातिकामीPratikamin (proper name)

तथाalso/likewise

पापःsinful, wicked

द्रौपद्याःof Draupadi

क्लेशकृद्धःmaker of distress (one who caused suffering)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Prātikāmī

Draupadī

Kṣatriyas

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 frames battlefield death not merely as tallying casualties but as moral accounting: those who inflicted grievous wrong—especially against Draupadī—are marked as ‘pāpa’ and their fall is presented as ethically significant, reflecting the Mahābhārata’s theme that adharma invites retributive consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the unfolding slaughter among the warriors, noting that many eminent Kṣatriyas have been killed and specifically highlighting the death of Prātikāmī, remembered for having caused distress to Draupadī.