Shloka 32

Devanagari script

त॑ रथं यादवश्रेष्ठ;: समारुहु परंतप:

Transliteration

taṁ rathaṁ yādavaśreṣṭhaḥ samāruhya parantapaḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Then the foremost of the Yādavas mounted that chariot, while the scorcher of foes made ready to press on—an image of resolute action amid the moral gravity of war, where duty is carried forward through disciplined readiness rather than hesitation.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• रथम्: chariot
• रथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यादवश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Yadavas
• यादवश्रेष्ठ: Sampradana
• Type: Noun (vocative address)
• Root: यादव-श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• समारुह: mount / ascend
• समारुह: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-रुह्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• परंतप: O scorcher of foes
• परंतप: Sampradana
• Type: Noun (vocative address)
• Root: परंतप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yādavaśreṣṭha (Kṛṣṇa)
• Parantapa (heroic warrior, commonly Arjuna)
• ratha (chariot)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined readiness and purposeful action in a dharmic crisis: leadership and duty are expressed through calm, decisive preparation rather than wavering, even when the setting is ethically weighty like war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that the foremost Yādava (typically Kṛṣṇa) mounts a chariot, while the foe-scorching hero (often Arjuna or a principal warrior) is poised to proceed, signaling an imminent movement or engagement in the battle sequence.