Shloka 573

Devanagari script

जलसंध॑ हतं दृष्टवा वृष्णीनामृषभेण तु । आर्य! वृष्णिप्रवर सात्यकिके द्वारा जलसंधको मारा गया देख आपकी सेनामें महान्‌ हाहाकार मच गया

Transliteration

jalasaṃdhaṃ hataṃ dṛṣṭvā vṛṣṇīnām ṛṣabheṇa tu | ārya! vṛṣṇipravara sātyakike dvārā jalasaṃdhako māra gayā dekh āp kī senā meṃ mahān hāhākār mac gayā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O noble one, when your troops saw Jalasaṃdha slain by Sātyaki—the foremost of the Vṛṣṇis, a bull-like champion—a great outcry and panic arose throughout your army. The scene shows how the fall of a renowned warrior can shake morale and alter the ethical and strategic tenor of battle.

Word by Word

जलसन्धम्Jalasandha (name), as the object (him)

हतम्slain, killed

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

वृष्णीनाम्of the Vrishnis

ऋषभेणby the bull/foremost one (i.e., the best among them)

तुbut/indeed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Jalasaṃdha

Sātyaki

Vṛṣṇis

Kaurava army (implied by 'your army')

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 battlefield ethic and psychology: the death of a prominent warrior is not merely a tactical event but a moral and emotional shock that can destabilize an army. It reflects how reputation, leadership, and perceived righteousness/strength influence collective resolve in dharmic warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Jalasaṃdha has been slain by Sātyaki, the leading warrior of the Vṛṣṇis. Seeing this, the Kaurava forces raise a loud uproar—signaling fear, grief, and confusion spreading through the ranks.