Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सहिता भ्रातर: पञजच रथानामयुतेन च । न्यवर्तन्त महाराज कृत्वा शपथमाहवे,भरतनन्दन! सुशमाके ऐसा कहनेपर सत्यरथ, सत्यवर्मा, सत्यव्रत, सत्येषु तथा सत्यकर्मा नामवाले उसके पाँच भाइयोंने भी इसी प्रतिज्ञाको दुहराया। उनके साथ दस हजार रथियोंकी सेना भी थी। महाराज! ये लोग युद्धके लिये शपथ खाकर लौटे थे

Transliteration

sahitā bhrātaraḥ pañca rathānām ayutena ca | nyavartanta mahārāja kṛtvā śapatham āhave bharatanandana ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O great king, delight of the Bhāratas, he returned accompanied by his five brothers and by a force of ten thousand chariot-warriors, having taken a solemn oath for the fight.”

Word by Word

सहिताtogether/combined

भ्रातरःbrothers

पञ्चfive

रथानाम्of chariots / of chariot-warriors

अयुतेनwith ten thousand

चand

न्यवर्तन्तthey returned/turned back

महाराजO great king

कृत्वाhaving made/done

शपथम्an oath

आहवेin battle

भरतनन्दनO descendant/delighter of Bharata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Dhritarashtra (implied by mahārāja, bharatanandana)

five brothers (pañca bhrātaraḥ)

ten thousand chariot-warriors (rathins)

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 the ethical force of a sworn vow (śapatha) in a warrior context: once an oath is taken for battle, it becomes a binding commitment that shapes conduct and intensifies responsibility for the consequences of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to the king that a warrior returned to the battlefield accompanied by his five brothers and a contingent of ten thousand chariot-fighters, all having taken an oath to fight—signaling organized reinforcement and heightened determination.