Shloka 333

Devanagari script

शून्या: कृता रथोपस्था हताश्न गजवाजिन: । “लगातार दस दिनोंतक तुम्हारी सेनाका विनाश करते हुए भीष्मजीने असंख्य रथोंकी बैठकें सूनी कर दीं, बहुत-से हाथी और घोड़े मार डाले

Transliteration

śūnyāḥ kṛtā rathopasthā hatāś ca gajavājinaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “The platforms of many chariots were left empty, and elephants and horses too were slain.” For ten days without pause, as Bhīṣma destroyed your army, he emptied the stands of countless chariots and killed many elephants and steeds.

Word by Word

शून्याःempty, void

कृताःmade, rendered

रथोपस्थाःchariot-seats/platforms

हताःslain

अश्नstone (as a missile)

गजवाजिनःelephants and horses

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

chariots (ratha)

chariot-platforms/seats (rathopastha)

elephants (gaja)

horses (vājin)

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?

The verse highlights the stark consequence of warfare: even heroic effort results in emptied chariots and slain mounts, reminding the listener of the heavy cost and moral gravity that accompanies kṣatriya conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports battlefield devastation—many chariots have been rendered riderless/empty, and large numbers of elephants and horses have been killed—conveying the scale and intensity of the ongoing combat.