Shloka 70

दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः

Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva

Devanagari script

तस्य सूते हते ते5श्वा रथमादाय विद्रुता:

Transliteration

tasya sūte hate te ’śvā ratham ādāya vidrutāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: When his charioteer was slain, those horses, taking the chariot with them, bolted away—an image of how, in the chaos of war, even the finest martial order collapses when its guiding hand is removed.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that (person)
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सूते: when/while the charioteer (was ...)
• सूते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• हते: having been slain/killed
• हते: Adhikarana
• Type: Participle
• Root: हन्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular, Passive (PPP)

• ते: those/they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• रथम्: the chariot
• रथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken/after taking
• आदाय: Kriya-vishesana
• Type: Verbal Indeclinable (Gerund)
• Root: आ-दा
• Form: क्त्वान्त (gerund/absolutive)

• विद्रुताः: ran away/fled
• विद्रुताः: Karta
• Type: Participle
• Root: वि-द्रु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Active (past participle)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• charioteer (sūta)
• horses (aśvāḥ)
• chariot (ratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a practical ethical insight of war and governance: when the guiding agent (the charioteer/leader) is removed, even powerful instruments (horses/forces) can become directionless and destructive, showing the fragility of order amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that after a warrior’s charioteer is killed, the horses panic and run off, dragging the chariot away—signaling a sudden tactical breakdown on the battlefield.