Shloka 47
सम्प्राद्रवन्त समरे निर्जिता: सव्यसाचिना । माननीय नरेश! इस प्रकार रथहीन हुए वे सब महारथी कृपाचार्य, शल्य, विकर्ण, दुःशासन तथा विविंशति अर्जुनसे परास्त हो उस समरभूमिमें इधर-उधर भाग गये ।। ४६३६ || पूर्वाह्न भरतश्रेष्ठ पराजित्य महारथान्
saṃprādravanta samare nirjitāḥ savyasācinā | mānanīya nareśa! evaṃ rathahīnāḥ te sarve mahārathinaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ śalyaḥ vikarṇaḥ duḥśāsanaḥ tathā viviṃśatiḥ arjunena parājitāḥ tasmin samara-bhūmau itas-tataḥ prādravan ||
Sanjaya said: O revered king, defeated in battle by Arjuna the ambidextrous archer, those great chariot-warriors—Kripacharya, Shalya, Vikarna, Duhshasana, and Vivimshati—having been left without their chariots, fled in different directions across the battlefield. The scene underscores how prowess joined to righteous resolve can break even celebrated champions, and how pride in mere status collapses when courage and discipline fail under pressure.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of reputation and rank in the face of disciplined skill and steadfast resolve: even famed mahārathas can be routed when their support (chariot, formation, morale) collapses. Ethically, it reflects the battlefield reality that courage must be matched by competence and composure; otherwise, pride yields to panic.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna has defeated several prominent Kaurava fighters—Kṛpa, Śalya, Vikarṇa, Duḥśāsana, and Viviṃśati—leaving them without chariots, after which they flee in different directions on the battlefield.