Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कोई प्रसन्न था तो कोई भयभीत। कोई विषादग्रस्त था तो कोई आश्वर्यवकित तथा दूसरे बहुत-से लोग शोकसे मृतप्राय हो रहे थे। आपके और शत्रुपक्षके सैनिकोंमेंसे जिसकी जैसी प्रकृति थी, वे परस्पर उसी भावमें मग्न थे ।।

Transliteration

praviddha-varmābharaṇāmbara-āyudhaṁ dhanañjayenābhihataṁ mahaujasam | niśāmya karṇaṁ kuravaḥ pradudruvuḥ hata-ṛṣabhā gāva ivājane vane ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing Karṇa—of great might—struck down by Dhanañjaya, with his armor, ornaments, garments, and weapons scattered, the Kurus broke and fled, like a herd of cattle that has lost its leading bull, running in panic through a lonely forest.

Word by Word

• {'praviddha': 'scattered, flung away, cast about', 'varman (varmā)': 'armor, protective mail', 'ābharaṇa': 'ornament, decoration', 'ambara': 'garment, clothing', 'āyudha': 'weapon', 'dhanañjaya': 'Arjuna (the conqueror of wealth), epithet of Arjuna', 'abhihata': 'struck, smitten, wounded', 'mahā-ojas / mahaujasam': 'of great vigor, great might, powerful', 'niśāmya': 'having seen, observing', 'karṇa': 'Karna', 'kuravaḥ': 'the Kurus (Kaurava side warriors)', 'pradudruvuḥ': 'they ran away, fled', 'hata-ṛṣabha': 'whose bull-leader is slain

• bereft of the leading bull', 'gāvaḥ': 'cows, cattle', 'iva': 'like, as', 'ājane': 'in a lonely/trackless place

• in solitude', 'vane': 'in the forest'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna
• Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• Kuravaḥ (Kuru/Kaurava warriors)
• Forest (vana)
• Armor (varman)
• Ornaments (ābharaṇa)
• Garments (ambara)
• Weapons (āyudha)
• Cattle herd (gāvaḥ)
• Bull-leader (ṛṣabha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the fragility of collective morale in war: when a central champion falls, fear spreads rapidly and even seasoned warriors lose steadiness. Ethically, it points to the dependence of armies on leadership and inner resolve, and how attachment to power and reputation can collapse into panic when circumstances turn.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) has struck Karṇa, leaving his armor, ornaments, clothing, and weapons scattered. Witnessing this, the Kuru warriors flee in disorder, compared to cattle stampeding after their leading bull has been killed in a desolate forest.