Shloka 39

Devanagari script

सध्वजा रथिन: पेतुर्हयारोहा हयै:ः सह

Transliteration

sadhvajā rathinaḥ petur hayārohā hayaiḥ saha

Translation

Sañjaya said: Chariot-warriors, their standards still raised, fell; and the horsemen too went down together with their horses.

Word by Word

• सध्वजाः: having banners (with their standards)
• सध्वजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रथिनः: chariot-warriors
• रथिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पेतुः: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural

• हयारोहाः: horse-riders
• हयारोहाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हयारोह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हयैः: with (their) horses
• हयैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• chariot-warriors (rathinaḥ)
• banners/standards (dhvaja)
• horsemen (hayārohāḥ)
• horses (haya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of martial power: even those marked by visible emblems of status (banners, chariots) are swiftly brought down in war, reminding the listener of impermanence and the grave cost inherent in kṣatriya conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a moment of intense fighting in which chariot-warriors fall despite their standards, and cavalrymen also fall along with their horses—indicating heavy casualties and the turning of battle through forceful strikes.