Mahabharata 9.14.4 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 14, Shloka 4

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

Devanagari script

अर्जुन रथवंशेन द्रोणपुत्रपुरोगमा:

Transliteration

arjuna rathavaṁśena droṇaputrapurogamāḥ

Translation

સંજય બોલ્યો—અર્જુનની રથ-પંક્તિ આગળ વધી; તેના અગ્રભાગે દ્રોણપુત્ર હતો.

Word by Word

• अर्जुन: Arjuna
• अर्जुन: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथवंशेन: by/with the line (succession) of chariots
• रथवंशेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथवंश
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• द्रोणपुत्रपुरोगमाः: having Drona's son (Ashvatthaman) in front; led by Drona's son
• द्रोणपुत्रपुरोगमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरोगम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son)
• chariot-line/formation (rathavaṁśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how warfare is shaped by organized formations and decisive leadership; ethically, it points to the weight of responsibility borne by commanders and foremost warriors whose choices intensify or restrain destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a battlefield movement: a chariot-column associated with Arjuna is described, and Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāman is noted as being at the front, indicating the advance or prominence of that leading fighter within the action.