Mahabharata 9.5.52 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 5, Shloka 52

शल्यस्य सेनापत्याभ्युपगमः | Śalya’s Acceptance of Command

Devanagari script

तव पुत्रकृतोत्साहा: पर्यवर्तन्त ते ततः । पर्यवस्थाप्य चात्मानमन्योन्येन पुनस्तदा । सर्वे राजन्‌ न्यवर्तन्त क्षत्रिया: कालचोदिता:

Transliteration

tava putrakṛtotsāhāḥ paryavartanta te tataḥ | paryavasthāpya cātmānam anyonyena punas tadā | sarve rājan nyavartanta kṣatriyāḥ kālacoditāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Danach kehrten jene Krieger—von deinem Sohn ermutigt—um. Indem sie einander zusprachen und ihren Geist erneut festigten, kehrten alle Kṣatriyas, o König, vom Kāla selbst (Zeit/Schicksal) vorangetrieben, abermals auf das Schlachtfeld zurück.

Word by Word

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रकृतोत्साहाः: whose ardor was produced by (your) son / encouraged by your son
• पुत्रकृतोत्साहाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्रकृतोत्साह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पर्यवर्तन्त: they turned back/returned
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-आ-वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• ते: they/those (men)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ततः: then/thereupon/from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• पर्यवस्थाप्य: having steadied/established
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-अव-स्था
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada/Ātmanepada (gerund, voice-neutral)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• आत्मानम्: the mind/self
• आत्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अन्योन्येन: by one another/mutually
• अन्योन्येन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: अन्योन्य
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• तदा: then/at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• न्यवर्तन्त: they turned back/returned
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-आ-वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• क्षत्रियाः: warriors/Kshatriyas
• क्षत्रियाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कालचोदिताः: impelled by Time/fate-driven
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कालचोदित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त) from √चुद्/√चोद् 'to impel', with agent in compound

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'rājan' and 'tava')
• Duryodhana (implied by 'tava putra')
• kṣatriyas
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dual causality in human action: immediate motivation arises from leadership and mutual support, but the larger movement of events is portrayed as governed by Kāla (Time/destiny). It invites reflection on agency in dharmic conflict—effort is real, yet outcomes unfold within an overarching cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a moment of wavering or withdrawal, the kṣatriya warriors regain courage because Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana) rouses them. They compose themselves through mutual encouragement and then collectively return to the fight, described as being driven onward by the force of Time.