Shloka 35

रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट उवाच हते भीष्मे महेष्वासे द्रोणे कर्णे महारथे

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | hate bhīṣme maheṣvāse droṇe karṇe mahārathe |

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : «Après que Bhīṣma—puissant manieur du grand arc—eut été tué, et après la chute de Droṇa et de Karṇa, le grand guerrier de char…»

Word by Word

• धृतराष्ट्रः: Dhritarashtra
• धृतराष्ट्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

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

• भीष्मे: in/when Bhishma
• भीष्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• महेष्वासे: the great archer
• महेष्वासे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• कर्णे: in/when Karna
• कर्णे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• महारथे: the great chariot-warrior
• महारथे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīṣma
• Droṇa
• Karṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the moral and psychological aftermath of war: even the fall of the greatest heroes becomes a turning point that forces reflection on impermanence, the limits of power, and the heavy consequences of adharma-driven conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra begins a question or lament by recalling that Bhīṣma has been killed and that Droṇa and Karṇa have also fallen. This sets the scene for discussing what happened next in the war after the Kaurava side lost its principal champions.