Shloka 39

Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava

Devanagari script

विमुच्य कवचान्यन्ये पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिका:

Transliteration

vimucya kavacāny anye pāṇḍuputrasya sainikāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Some of the soldiers of the son of Pāṇḍu, casting off their armor (in the press of battle), did so as a sign of exhaustion and disarray amid the harsh demands of war.

Word by Word

• विमुच्य: having cast off / after removing
• विमुच्य: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+मुच्
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि, —, —, —

• कवचानि: armours
• कवचानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कवच
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पाण्डुपुत्रस्य: of the son of Pāṇḍu (i.e., of the Pāṇḍava)
• पाण्डुपुत्रस्य: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डुपुत्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सैनिकाः: soldiers
• सैनिकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैनिक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍuputra (Yudhiṣṭhira / the Pāṇḍavas)
• Pāṇḍava soldiers
• kavaca (armor)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the human cost of war: even trained warriors may falter under fear, fatigue, or confusion. It implicitly contrasts the ideal of steadfast kṣatriya resolve with the reality of battlefield strain, inviting reflection on duty, endurance, and the ethical weight of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that some soldiers on the Pāṇḍava side cast off their armor. In context, this typically signals distress—either retreat, panic, injury, or exhaustion—amid the ongoing fighting.