Shloka 74

Devanagari script

हते द्रोणे निरुत्साहान्‌ कुरून्‌ पाण्डवसृञज्जया:

Transliteration

hate droṇe nirutsāhān kurūn pāṇḍavasṛñjayaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Lorsque Droṇa eut été tué, les guerriers Kuru perdirent cœur ; et les Pāṇḍava, avec les Sṛñjaya, pressèrent leur avantage, changeant le désespoir de l’ennemi en un élan décisif sur le champ de bataille.»

Word by Word

• हते: when (he) was slain
• हते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (हत-)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• द्रोणे: in/when Drona
• द्रोणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण (द्रोण-)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• निरुत्साहान्: dispirited, lacking zeal
• निरुत्साहान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरुत्साह (निरुत्साह-)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कुरून्: the Kurus
• कुरून्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु (कुरु-)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पाण्डव: the Pandavas
• पाण्डव: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (पाण्डव-)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सृञ्जयाः: the Srijayas
• सृञ्जयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृञ्जय (सृञ्जय-)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Kurus
• Pāṇḍavas
• Sṛñjayas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the fall of a central leader can collapse an army’s morale, showing the ethical and practical weight of leadership in war: courage and cohesion often depend on trusted guides, and their loss can rapidly shift the balance of power.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Droṇa is killed, the Kuru forces become dispirited. Sensing this, the Pāṇḍavas and their Sṛñjaya allies surge forward, exploiting the enemy’s loss of resolve as a major turning point in the battle.