Shloka 296

Devanagari script

शेषांश्ष॒ पाण्डवान्‌ योधा: प्रसभं हीनतेजस: । 'योद्धाओ! इसी प्रकार महारथी कर्ण अर्जुनका वध कर डालेगा तथा रणयज्ञकी दीक्षा लेकर युद्ध करनेवाला मैं भीमसेनको और तेजोहीन हुए दूसरे पाण्डवोंको भी बलपूर्वक जीत लूँगा

Transliteration

śeṣān pāṇḍavān yodhāḥ prasabhaṃ hīna-tejasaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “The warriors will then overpower the remaining Pāṇḍavas, now diminished in splendor and strength.” In the ethical shadow of the war, the line underscores how the momentum of violence turns on those who are weakened—where prowess, strategy, and relentless force threaten to eclipse restraint and dharma.

Word by Word

• śeṣān: the remaining
• śeṣān: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śeṣa
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• pāṇḍavān: the Pandavas
• pāṇḍavān: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍava
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• yodhāḥ: warriors
• yodhāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: yodha
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• prasabham: forcibly, violently
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prasabha
• Form: true

• hīna-tejasaḥ: devoid of vigor/splendor
• hīna-tejasaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hīna-tejas
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a grim wartime ethic: once strength and morale (tejas) decline, opponents tend to press with force (prasabham). It implicitly warns how warfare can erode restraint and make victory depend more on overpowering momentum than on righteous conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports the battlefield situation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, stating that the remaining Pāṇḍavas—now weakened—are being (or are about to be) forcibly overpowered by the warriors on the opposing side.