Shloka 45

Devanagari script

रथचक्रैर्युगैरक्षेरधिष्ठानैरुपस्करै:

Transliteration

rathacakrair yugair akṣer adhiṣṭhānair upaskaraiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “With chariot-wheels, yokes, axles, axle-beds, and the various fittings and equipment…”

Word by Word

रथचक्रैःby/with chariot-wheels

युगैःby/with yokes

अक्षैःby/with axles

अधिष्ठानैःby/with bases/platforms (supports)

उपस्करैःby/with equipment/gear

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

chariot wheels

yokes

axles

axle-beds/supports

chariot equipment/fittings

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

By cataloging the components of chariots as scattered instruments of war, the verse underscores the material, impersonal machinery of violence and the fragility of worldly power—inviting reflection on dharma amid the devastation of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene in concrete detail, listing chariot parts and equipment—suggesting wreckage, disarray, and the scale of conflict as the narration moves through the aftermath and intensity of fighting.