Shloka 343

Devanagari script

पृष्ठतोडनुगमिष्यामि सार्थहीनो यथाध्वग: । इसके बाद आपके सत्यपराक्रमी पुत्र राजा दुर्योधनने संदेशवाहक दूतोंसे इस प्रकार कहा-- 'भीमसेनने रणभूमिमें अधर्मसे मेरा वध किया है। अब मैं स्वर्गमें गये हुए द्रोणाचार्य

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | pṛṣṭhato 'nugamiṣyāmi sārthahīno yathādhvagaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya sagte: „Ich werde hinterhergehen—wie ein Wanderer, dem die Karawane abhandengekommen ist.“ Im Zusammenhang drückt die Zeile die moralische und seelische Verlassenheit dessen aus, der nach dem Untergang seiner Gefährten durch Krieg und Unrecht nur noch hinter ihnen her dem gleichen Ende entgegenziehen kann, ohne Halt und ohne Richtung.

Word by Word

• पृष्ठतोडम्: one who wounds/strikes from behind; back-stabber
• पृष्ठतोडम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठतोड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अनुगमिष्यामि: I shall follow
• अनुगमिष्यामि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सार्थहीनः: deprived of companions; without a caravan
• सार्थहीनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सार्थहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अध्वगः: a traveler, wayfarer
• अध्वगः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Bhīmasena
• Droṇācārya
• Karṇa
• Śalya
• Vṛṣasena
• Śakuni
• Jalasandha
• Bhagadatta
• Somadatta
• Jayadratha
• Duḥśāsana
• Duḥśāsana's son
• Lakṣmaṇa (Duryodhana's son)
• svarga (heaven)
• raṇabhūmi (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The simile of a lone traveler underscores the ethical and existential consequence of war driven by adharma: when one’s community and moral supports collapse, one is left isolated, merely following the aftermath of destruction rather than walking a purposeful path.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a statement framed as a lament: after the slaughter of many allies and elders, the speaker portrays himself as one left behind without companions, destined to follow them—implicitly toward death and the next world—like a traveler separated from his caravan.