Shloka 49

अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः

Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces

Devanagari script

अपोवाहाथ शीघ्रं स शैनेयाद्‌ युद्धशालिन:

Transliteration

apovāhātha śīghraṁ sa śaineyād yuddhaśālinaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Swiftly he drove him away from Śaineya, that battle-hardened warrior, drawing him out of the press of the immediate clash. Thus is the law of the field made plain: when the moment demands it, a tactical withdrawal preserves life and station better than reckless persistence.

Word by Word

• अपोवाह: carried away / removed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप + वह्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), 3, Singular, परस्मैपदम्

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र

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

• शैनेयात्: from Śaineya (Satyaki)
• शैनेयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैनेय
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• युद्धशालिनः: the battle-skilled (warrior)
• युद्धशालिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युद्धशालिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śaineya (Sātyaki)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, dharma includes discernment: courage is not mere stubbornness. Strategic withdrawal or removal from danger can be righteous when it preserves life and maintains the larger duty of protecting one’s side.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that someone quickly pulls/drives a person away from Śaineya (Sātyaki), who is described as highly skilled in battle—indicating a tactical extraction from a dangerous engagement with a formidable warrior.