Shloka 16
Devanagari script
विशस्त्रकवचाश्षान्ये वाहनेभ्य: क्षितिं गता:
Transliteration
viśastrakavacāś cānye vāhanebhyaḥ kṣitiṃ gatāḥ
Translation
«D’autres encore—dépouillés de leurs armes et de leurs cuirasses—tombèrent de leurs montures et s’abattirent à terre.»
Word by Word
विशस्त्रकवचाःdeprived of weapons and armor
विशस्त्रकवचाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootविशस्त्रकवच
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
अन्येothers
अन्ये:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootअन्य
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
वाहनेभ्यःfrom the vehicles (chariots)
वाहनेभ्यः:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootवाहन
FormNeuter, Ablative, Plural
क्षितिम्to the ground
क्षितिम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootक्षिति
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
गताःwent / fell
गताः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootगम्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)
Speaker
युधिछिर उवाच
Characters & Entities
Y
YudhiṣṭhiraW
weapons (śastra)A
armor (kavaca)M
mounts/vehicles (vāhana)E
earth/ground (kṣiti)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vulnerability that remains when external supports—weapons, armor, and the power of one’s mount—are lost, pointing to the ethical gravity of war and the swift collapse of worldly security.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes a battlefield moment where many combatants, having lost weapons and armor, tumble down from their mounts/vehicles and fall to the ground, emphasizing widespread disarray and defeat.