Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सोपासड्र: सरश्मिश्न साश्वः सयुगबन्धुर: । भस्मी भूतो 5पतद्‌ भूमौ रथो गाण्डीवधन्चन:,गाण्डीवधारीका वह रथ उपासंग, बागडोर, जूआ, बन्धुरकाष्ठ और घोड़ोंसहित भस्म होकर भूमिपर गिर पड़ा

Transliteration

sopāsaḍraḥ saraśmiś ca sāśvaḥ sayugabandhuraḥ | bhasmī bhūto 'patad bhūmau ratho gāṇḍīvadhanañjayaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Arjuna’s chariot—together with its fittings, reins, horses, yoke, and the pole that binds the team—was reduced to ashes and fell upon the earth.

Word by Word

सोपासङ्गःhaving the side-attachments (upāsanga)

सरश्मिःwith the reins

साश्वःwith horses

सयुगबन्धुरःwith yoke and pole (yuga-bhandhura)

भस्मीभूतःhaving become ashes, reduced to ash

अपतत्fell

भूमौon the ground

रथःthe chariot

गाण्डीवधन्वनःof the wielder of Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna (Dhanañjaya)

Gāṇḍīva

chariot (ratha)

horses (aśva)

reins (raśmi)

yoke (yuga)

chariot pole/shaft (bandhura)

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 impermanence and dependence: even a famed hero’s chariot and war-gear endure only while upheld by protective forces (divine favor, merit, and right order). When that support ends, worldly power collapses, reminding the listener to ground action in dharma rather than pride in instruments or status.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna’s chariot—along with its reins, horses, yoke, and fittings—suddenly burns to ashes and falls to the ground. It is a dramatic sign that the extraordinary protection surrounding the chariot has ceased, marking a turning point in the war’s aftermath and the withdrawal of sustaining power.