Shloka 683

Devanagari script

लोहिताज् इवादित्यो दुर्धर्ष: समपद्यत । दुर्धर्ष द्रोणाचार्यका शरीर खूनसे लथपथ हो रथसे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा, मानो लाल अंगकान्तिवाले सूर्य डूब गये हों

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

lohitāj ivādityo durdharṣaḥ samapadyata |

Translation

Sañjaya said: The invincible one met his end like the sun turning red at dusk. Thus Droṇācārya—his body drenched in blood—fell from his chariot onto the earth, as though the crimson-rayed sun had sunk below the horizon. The image underscores the tragic fall of a mighty teacher in war, where prowess and honor are finally overtaken by mortality and the grim consequences of battle.

Word by Word

• लोहितात्: from blood / from red (hue)
• लोहितात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: लोहित
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• इव: as if, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• आदित्यः: the sun
• आदित्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दुर्धर्षः: invincible, hard to assail
• दुर्धर्षः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्धर्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समपद्यत: fell down / came to (a state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Āditya (the Sun)
• Droṇācārya
• ratha (chariot)
• pṛthvī (earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights impermanence: even the most formidable warrior-teacher must fall. The sunset simile frames death not merely as defeat but as an inevitable cosmic rhythm, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of war and the limits of human power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Droṇācārya’s collapse: his body is blood-soaked and he falls from his chariot to the ground. The fall is compared to the red sun setting, emphasizing the end of a great figure on the battlefield.