Shloka 15

Devanagari script

।। युक्ताश्न पर्वतीयानां रथा: पाषाणयोधिनाम्‌

Transliteration

yuktāśna-parvatīyānāṁ rathāḥ pāṣāṇa-yodhinām

Translation

Sañjaya said: “The chariots of those stone-fighting warriors were harnessed with mountain-bred steeds.”

Word by Word

• युक्ताः: yoked, harnessed
• युक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त (युज्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वाः: horses
• अश्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पर्वतीयानाम्: of the mountain(-dwelling) ones
• पर्वतीयानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्वतीय
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• रथाः: chariots
• रथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पाषाणयोधिनाम्: of the stone-fighters (those who fight with stones)
• पाषाणयोधिनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाषाणयोधिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• chariots (rathāḥ)
• mountain-bred horses/steeds (parvatīyāḥ aśnāḥ)
• stone-fighting warriors (pāṣāṇa-yodhinaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores how the apparatus of war mirrors the temperament of those who wage it: rugged, hard, and prepared. It invites reflection on the ethical gravity of mobilizing such force—when war is read not only in deeds but also in the very symbols and resources marshaled for violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing battlefield preparations and the character of a contingent: their chariots are ready, and their horses are described as mountain-bred, while the warriors are characterized as ‘stone-fighters,’ suggesting a harsh, formidable mode of combat.