Shloka 78

Devanagari script

ततस्तं विरथं दृष्टवा कृप: शारद्वत: प्रभो

Transliteration

tatastam virathaṃ dṛṣṭvā kṛpaḥ śāradvataḥ prabho

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors, le voyant privé de son char, Kṛpa—fils de Śāradvata—(s’adressant au roi) prit la parole, tandis que les rudes retournements du combat mettaient à nu la fragilité des guerriers et l’inflexible exigence du devoir dans la guerre.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

तम्him/that (one)

विरथम्without a chariot, chariotless

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

कृपःKripa

शारद्वतःŚāradvata (son/descendant of Śaradvat)

प्रभोO lord!

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kṛpa (Śāradvata)

prabhu (the addressed lord/king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

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 line highlights the battlefield reality that status and advantage can reverse instantly; a warrior may become chariotless, yet the ethical demand of kṣatriya-duty persists. It also frames a response by a senior figure (Kṛpa), suggesting counsel or reaction shaped by responsibility rather than mere triumphalism.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates to the king that Kṛpa notices a key warrior has become viratha (without a chariot). This observation marks a turning point in the combat situation and sets up Kṛpa’s ensuing words or action in response to that vulnerability.