Shloka 47
सम्प्राद्रवन्त समरे निर्जिता: सव्यसाचिना । माननीय नरेश! इस प्रकार रथहीन हुए वे सब महारथी कृपाचार्य, शल्य, विकर्ण, दुःशासन तथा विविंशति अर्जुनसे परास्त हो उस समरभूमिमें इधर-उधर भाग गये ।।
saṃprādravanta samare nirjitāḥ savyasācinā | mānanīya nareśa! evaṃ rathahīnāḥ te sarve mahārathinaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ śalyaḥ vikarṇaḥ duḥśāsanaḥ tathā viviṃśatiḥ arjunena parājitāḥ tasmin samara-bhūmau itas-tataḥ prādravan ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi vénéré ! Vaincus au combat par Arjuna, l’archer habile des deux mains, ces grands guerriers de char—Kṛpācārya, Śalya, Vikarṇa, Duḥśāsana et Viviṁśati—devenus sans chars, s’enfuirent en tous sens à travers le champ de bataille. La scène montre comment la prouesse, jointe à une résolution juste, peut briser même des champions célébrés, et comment l’orgueil fondé sur le seul rang s’effondre lorsque le courage et la discipline cèdent sous la pression.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of reputation and rank in the face of disciplined skill and steadfast resolve: even famed mahārathas can be routed when their support (chariot, formation, morale) collapses. Ethically, it reflects the battlefield reality that courage must be matched by competence and composure; otherwise, pride yields to panic.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna has defeated several prominent Kaurava fighters—Kṛpa, Śalya, Vikarṇa, Duḥśāsana, and Viviṃśati—leaving them without chariots, after which they flee in different directions on the battlefield.