Shloka 37

अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel

Devanagari script

चित्रसेनं शतेनैव दशभिर्दु:सहं तथा

Transliteration

citrasenaṁ śatenaiva daśabhir duḥsahaṁ tathā

Translation

Sañjaya said: With a hundred (warriors) he struck down Citrasena, and likewise with ten he overcame Duḥsaha—marking the relentless, escalating tempo of the battle where prowess is measured in swift, decisive subjugation rather than restraint.

Word by Word

• चित्रसेनम्: Chitrasena (proper name)
• चित्रसेनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रसेन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शतेन: with a hundred
• शतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• दुःसहम्: Duhsaha (proper name) / the hard-to-bear one
• दुःसहम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःसह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Citrasena
• Duḥsaha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic tension: martial excellence and efficiency are praised within kṣatriya-duty, yet the narration also highlights how quickly violence scales, inviting reflection on the cost of glory and the moral weight of battlefield success.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports rapid battlefield feats: Citrasena is overcome using 'a hundred' (commonly understood as a hundred arrows/strikes), and Duḥsaha is similarly subdued with 'ten,' conveying a sequence of swift defeats amid the Drona Parva fighting.