Shloka 35

Devanagari script

मार्गे: सकौशिकाद्यैश्व लाघवेन बलेन च

Transliteration

mārge sakauśikādyaiś ca lāghavena balena ca

Translation

Sañjaya said: On the route, by means of the swift, agile tactics associated with Kauśika and others, and also through sheer strength, the warriors pressed their advantage—showing how, in war, success is pursued both by skillful stratagem and by raw force.

Word by Word

• मार्गे: on the path/way
• मार्गे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• स: he
• स: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कौशिकाद्यैः: by/with Kaushika and others
• कौशिकाद्यैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौशिकादि
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• लाघवेन: by lightness/agility
• लाघवेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाघव
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• बलेन: by strength
• बलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kauśika

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata insight: in the chaos of battle, outcomes are shaped by both lāghava (agile skill, clever maneuvering) and bala (direct power). Ethically, it points to the tension between strategic ingenuity and brute force as instruments used to achieve victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes actions occurring 'on the route' during the Drona Parva fighting, noting that the combatants advance or prevail by employing swift, Kauśika-associated methods and by relying on strength—indicating a mix of tactical maneuver and force in the ongoing battle.