Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सौते कि ते व्यवसितं कस्माद्‌ यासि पराड्मुख: । नैष वृष्णिप्रवीराणामाहवे धर्म उच्यते,'सूतपुत्र! आज तूने कया सोचा है? क्‍यों युद्धसे मुँह मोड़कर भागा जा रहा है? युद्धसे पलायन करना वृष्णिवंशी वीरोंका धर्म नहीं है

Transliteration

saute ki te vyavasitaṁ kasmād yāsi parāṅmukhaḥ | naiṣa vṛṣṇipravīrāṇām āhave dharma ucyate ||

Translation

“O Sūta’s son, what resolve have you formed that you turn away and flee? To withdraw from battle is not declared to be the dharma of the foremost heroes of the Vṛṣṇi line.”

Word by Word

• सौते: O charioteer / O son of a sūta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कि: what? (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)

• ते: of you / your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• व्यवसितम्: resolved/decided (what has been decided)
• व्यवसितम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यवसि (धातु) → व्यवसित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• कस्मात्: from what cause? why?
• कस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• यासि: you go
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: Present, Second, Singular

• पराङ्मुखः: with face turned away; turning away
• पराङ्मुखः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पराङ्मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एषः: this
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वृष्णि-प्रवीराणाम्: of the foremost heroes of the Vṛṣṇis
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष्णि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• आहवे: in battle
• आहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• धर्मः: duty; proper conduct
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उच्यते: is said/called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उच्यते (कर्मणि प्रयोग)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Passive

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Sūtaputra (son of a sūta)
• Vṛṣṇi clan

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a martial-ethical norm: for renowned warriors, especially those of the Vṛṣṇi line, turning away from battle is not considered dharma; steadfastness and courage are framed as duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a person called “Sūta’s son,” challenging his sudden resolve to retreat and rebuking him for fleeing from combat, invoking clan-honor and dharma as the standard.