Shloka 46

Devanagari script

एवं ते विरथा: सर्वे कृप: शल्यश्न मारिष | दुःशासनो विकर्णश्र॒ तथैव च विविंशति:

Transliteration

evaṁ te virathāḥ sarve kṛpaḥ śalyaś ca māriṣa | duḥśāsano vikarṇaś ca tathaiva ca viviṁśatiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : « Ainsi, tous furent laissés sans chars — Kṛpa et Śalya aussi, ô vénérable ; et de même Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa et Viviṁśati. » Le récit souligne le brusque renversement de la fortune guerrière : des combattants renommés sont réduits à la fragilité, rappelant que l’orgueil du pouvoir et du rang s’effondre devant les conséquences inexorables de la bataille et des actes.

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

तेyou (all)

विरथाःwithout chariots, dismounted

सर्वेall

कृपःKripa

शल्यःShalya

अश्वत्थामाAshvatthama

मारिषO noble one / O sir

दुःशासनःDuhshasana

विकर्णःVikarna

तथाso, likewise

एवindeed, just

चand

विविंशतिःVivimshati

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)

Śalya

Duḥśāsana

Vikarṇa

Viviṁśati

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the fragility of worldly power in war: even famed warriors can be suddenly stripped of their chariots and advantage. It implicitly cautions against arrogance and reminds that outcomes in conflict are shaped by circumstance and the moral momentum of one’s actions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the listener that several leading Kaurava-side fighters—Kṛpa, Śalya, Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa, and Viviṁśati—have become viratha, i.e., deprived of their chariots, indicating a serious setback and heightened vulnerability on the battlefield.