Shloka 21

शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam

Devanagari script

तथा स विदह्वल: सूत: प्रविश्य नृपतिक्षयम्‌

Transliteration

tathā sa vidhahvalaḥ sūtaḥ praviśya nṛpati-kṣayam

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Thus the charioteer, shaken and distraught, entered the king’s residence—bearing the weight of grim tidings and the moral strain that war lays upon those who must report its consequences.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

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

• विदह्वलः: agitated, bewildered
• विदह्वलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विदह्वल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सूतः: charioteer
• सूतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रविश्य: having entered
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• नृपति-क्षयम्: the king's abode/palace (lit. 'king-dwelling')
• नृपति-क्षयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति-क्षय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• sūta (charioteer/messenger)
• nṛpati (the king)
• nṛpati-kṣaya (the king’s residence)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even those not fighting—messengers, attendants, and charioteers—are morally and emotionally affected by war; the verse highlights the human cost and the burden of conveying painful truth within the royal sphere.

What is happening in the narrative?

A distressed sūta (charioteer/messenger) goes into the king’s residence, implying he is about to report urgent and troubling developments from the battlefield or court affairs.