Shloka 19

Devanagari script

हया: पराजिता: शीघ्रा भारद्वाजरथोद्वहा: । ते सम रुक्मरथे युक्ता नरवीरसमास्थिता:

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |

hayāḥ parājitāḥ śīghrā bhāradvāja-rathodvahāḥ |

te sama rukma-rathe yuktā nara-vīra-samāsthitāḥ ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “The swift horses that drew Bhāradvāja’s chariot have been overcome. Yet those very horses, harnessed again to a chariot adorned with gold, stand firm under the control of heroic warriors.”

Word by Word

हयाःhorses

पराजिताःdefeated/overpowered

शीघ्राःswift

भारद्वाज-रथ-उद्वहाःthe chariot-bearers/drivers of Bharadvaja (Drona)

तेthey/those

सम्together/fully

रुक्म-रथेin/on the golden chariot

युक्ताःyoked/harnessed

नर-वीर-समास्थिताःmounted/occupied by heroic men

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Bhāradvāja (Droṇa)

horses

golden chariot (rukma-ratha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when strength (symbolized by the horses) is checked or ‘defeated,’ disciplined reorganization and steadfast leadership can restore effectiveness; in war-ethics, resilience and control are praised over panic and collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing the battle report, notes that the swift horses of Droṇa’s (Bhāradvāja’s) chariot were overcome, but they are again harnessed to a gold-adorned chariot and stand ready under heroic warriors—signaling a regrouping and return to combat readiness.