Shloka 128

Devanagari script

त॑ दृष्टवा प्रद्रुतैरश्वैरपकृष्ट रणाजिरात्‌

Transliteration

taṁ dṛṣṭvā pradrutair aśvair apakṛṣṭaṁ raṇājirāt

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing him thus—dragged away from the battlefield by horses rushing at full speed—the warriors understood that he was being forcibly removed from the very arena of combat, a moment that shows how swiftly fortune turns in war and how a fighter’s agency can be overwhelmed by the violence of circumstances.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (thing/event)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• प्रद्रुतैः: by/with (those) running swiftly
• प्रद्रुतैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रद्रुत
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अश्वैः: by/with horses
• अश्वैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अपकृष्टः: dragged away / pulled away
• अपकृष्टः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपकृष्ट
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रणाजिरात्: from the battlefield
• रणाजिरात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रणाजिर
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horses
• battlefield (raṇājira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the instability of martial fortune: even a warrior’s intent and valor can be overridden by the momentum of battle. Ethically, it points to the tragic loss of control that war imposes, where bodies are carried by forces—literal and moral—greater than individual will.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a particular person is seen being pulled away from the battlefield by horses running at speed—suggesting a forced withdrawal or removal from the combat zone amid the chaos of war.