Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ततः स हेमचित्रं तं गदया स्यन्दनं गदी । संक्रुद्ध/ पोथयामास साश्वसूतध्वजं नृप,नरेश्वर! तदनन्तर अत्यन्त कुपित हुए गदाधारी दुर्योधनने घोड़े, सारथि और ध्वजसहित उस सुवर्णजटित सुन्दर रथको गदाके आघातसे चूर-चूर कर दिया

Transliteration

tataḥ sa hemacitraṃ taṃ gadayā syandanaṃ gadī | saṃkruddhaḥ pothayāmāsa sāśvasūtadhvajaṃ nṛpa, nareśvara |

Translation

Then the mace-bearing warrior, inflamed with rage, struck that splendid chariot inlaid with gold with his mace and smashed it to pieces—together with its horses, charioteer, and banner.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

हेमचित्रम्gold-adorned, decorated with gold

तम्that (him/it)

गदयाwith a mace

स्यन्दनम्chariot

गदीthe mace-bearer

संक्रुद्धःenraged

पोतयामासsmashed, crushed (made into fragments)

साश्वसूतध्वजम्together with horses, charioteer, and banner

नृपO king

नरेश्वरO lord of men

Speaker

द्रोण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Droṇa (speaker)

mace-bearing warrior (gadī; contextually Duryodhana in the given Hindi gloss)

gold-inlaid chariot (hemacitra syandana)

mace (gadā)

horses (aśva)

charioteer (sūta)

banner/standard (dhvaja)

king addressed (nṛpa/nareśvara)

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 how uncontrolled anger (saṃkrodha/krodha) escalates destruction in war: rage does not merely target an enemy but annihilates everything connected—horses, charioteer, and the emblematic banner—showing the ethical cost of passion overriding restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa describes a mace-wielding fighter who, in extreme fury, strikes a gold-adorned chariot with his mace and crushes it completely, along with its horses, charioteer, and banner.