Shloka 14

Devanagari script

हते तस्मिन्‌ महाराज तव पुत्रे महारथे । नामृष्यन्त रणे शूरा: सोदरा: सप्त संयुगे,महाराज! आपके उस महारथी पुत्रके मारे जानेपर उसके सात रणवीर भाई, जो वहीं मौजूद थे, भीमसेनका यह अपराध सहन न कर सके

Transliteration

hate tasmin mahārāja tava putre mahārathe | nāmṛṣyanta raṇe śūrāḥ sodarāḥ sapta saṃyuge ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, when that great chariot-warrior—your son—was slain, his seven full brothers, valiant heroes present on the battlefield, could not endure it. They could not tolerate Bhīmasena’s deed and burned with the urge to retaliate.

Word by Word

हतेwhen (he) was slain

तस्मिन्in/when that (one)

महाराजO great king

तवof you/your

पुत्रेin/when (your) son

महारथेin/when the great chariot-warrior

नnot

अमृष्यन्तthey did not endure/tolerate

रणेin battle

शूराःheroes/valiant men

स-उदराःuterine (brothers), born of the same mother

सप्तseven

संयुगेin the encounter/battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Mahārāja, implied addressee)

Bhīmasena

tava putra (the king’s son, unnamed here)

sapta sodarāḥ (seven brothers of the slain son)

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 a recurring Mahābhārata ethic: in war, especially under kṣatriya-dharma, the death of a kin member often triggers an immediate demand for retaliation. It shows how grief and honor can harden into vengeance, escalating violence through family bonds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that one of the king’s sons, a great warrior, has been slain. The slain man’s seven full brothers, fighting nearby, cannot bear the loss and are provoked against Bhīmasena, preparing to respond in battle.