Shloka 13

Devanagari script

ततः सैन्यानि सर्वाणि तावकानि विशाम्पते । निराशान्यभवंस्तत्र जीवितं प्रति भारत,प्रजानाथ! भरतनन्दन! उस समय आपकी सारी सेनाएँ वहाँ अपने जीवनसे निराश हो गयीं

Transliteration

tataḥ sainyāni sarvāṇi tāvakāni viśāmpate | nirāśāny abhavaṃs tatra jīvitaṃ prati bhārata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, O lord of the people, all your forces there—those belonging to your side—lost hope regarding their very lives, O Bhārata.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सैन्यानिarmies, troops

सर्वाणिall

तावकानिyours (belonging to you)

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

निराशानिhopeless, despairing

अभवन्became, were

तत्रthere

जीवितम्life

प्रतिtowards, with regard to

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by vocatives viśāmpate, bhārata)

Kaurava army (tāvakāni sainyāni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, inner confidence and moral grounding are decisive: when a side is shaken by fear and the weight of consequences, even vast forces can lose the will to live. It implicitly warns that adharma-led ambition culminates in despair and collapse of resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops on the battlefield have become hopeless about their survival. The line marks a turning point in morale, indicating that the situation has become terrifying and unfavorable for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side.