Shloka 20

Devanagari script

रथाश्चनागहीनास्तु पादातास्तव मारिष | पजञ्चविंशतिसाहसारा युद्धायैव व्यवस्थिता:,माननीय नरेश! उस समय रथों, घोड़ों और हाथियोंसे रहित आपके केवल पचीस हजार पैदल सैनिक ही युद्धके लिये डटे हुए थे

Transliteration

rathāś ca nāga-hīnāstu pādātās tava māriṣa | pañca-viṃśati-sāhasrā yuddhāyaiva vyavasthitāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O venerable one, at that time your foot-soldiers—deprived of chariots and elephants—stood firm, twenty-five thousand in number, arrayed solely for battle.”

Word by Word

रथाःchariots

चand

नागहीनाःdevoid of elephants

तुbut/indeed

पादाताःfoot-soldiers/infantrymen

तवof you/your

मारिषO noble sir (term of address)

पञ्चfive

चand

विंशतिtwenty

साहस्राःthousands (in number)

युद्धायfor battle

एवindeed/only

व्यवस्थिताःarrayed/standing ready

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address māriṣa and tava)

infantry (pādātāḥ)

chariots (rathāḥ)

elephants (nāgāḥ)

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 deprived of key resources (chariots and elephants), the narrative highlights steadfastness and disciplined readiness in the face of crisis—an aspect of kṣatriya resolve and the grim ethic of wartime duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that only the Kaurava infantry remained in position—twenty-five thousand foot-soldiers—standing prepared for battle despite the absence of major war assets like chariots and elephants.