Shloka 5

भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः

Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā

Devanagari script

भग्नाक्षयुगचक्रेषा: केचिदासन्‌ विशाम्पते | अन्येषां सायका: क्षीणास्तथान्ये बाणपीडिता:

Transliteration

bhagnākṣayugacakreṣāḥ kecid āsan viśāmpate | anyeṣāṁ sāyakāḥ kṣīṇās tathānye bāṇapīḍitāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O lord of the people, some warriors found their chariots crippled—axles, yokes, and wheels shattered. Others had exhausted their missiles, and still others were wracked with pain from arrow-wounds.

Word by Word

• भग्न: broken
• भग्न: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न (भज्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, 'broken')
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• अक्ष: axles
• अक्ष: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• युग: yokes
• युग: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• चक्र: wheels
• चक्र: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• ईषाः: poles/shafts (of chariots)
• ईषाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईषा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• केचित्: some (persons)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक: केचित्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• आसन्: were
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• विशाम्: of the people/subjects
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• पते: O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अन्येषाम्: of others
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सायकाः: arrows
• सायकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• क्षीणाः: were exhausted/used up
• क्षीणाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षीण (क्षि-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, 'wasted/used up')
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: thus/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बाण: by arrows
• बाण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• पीडिताः: were afflicted/tormented
• पीडिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीडित (पीड्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, 'afflicted')
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• chariots (axle, yoke, wheels)
• arrows/missiles

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh reality of war: victory and defeat are shaped not only by heroism but by material breakdown, depletion of resources, and bodily suffering. It implicitly cautions against romanticizing violence and highlights the ethical weight of conflict through its tangible human and logistical costs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield condition: some fighters have their chariots disabled with broken axles, yokes, and wheels; others have run out of arrows; and others are wounded and in pain from arrow strikes—depicting a moment of intense wear and damage in the ongoing battle.