Shloka 14

Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption

Devanagari script

सारथिस्त्वरमाणस्तु दःशासनमचेतनम्‌

Transliteration

sārathis tvaramāṇas tu daḥśāsanam acetanam

Translation

Sañjaya said: The charioteer, acting in haste, attended to Duḥśāsana, who had fallen unconscious.

Word by Word

• सारथिः: the charioteer
• सारथिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारथि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वरमाणः: hastening
• त्वरमाणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वर्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• दुःशासनम्: Duhshasana
• दुःशासनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशासन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अचेतनम्: unconscious/senseless
• अचेतनम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचेतन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duḥśāsana
• charioteer (sārathi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the battlefield reality that power and arrogance can collapse instantly; in war, ethical reflection meets urgent necessity, and even attendants must act swiftly to preserve life amid chaos.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a charioteer hurried to deal with Duḥśāsana, who had become unconscious—indicating a moment of severe injury or shock during the fighting.