Shloka 42

अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel

Devanagari script

ततः स रथियनां श्रेष्ठस्तव पुत्रस्य सारथिम्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ sa rathiyānāṃ śreṣṭhas tava putrasya sārathim

Translation

Lalu, yang terunggul di antara para pejuang kereta itu mengarahkan perhatiannya kepada kusir kereta putramu.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथिनाम्: of the chariot-warriors
• रथिनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठः: the best, foremost
• श्रेष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• पुत्रस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सारथिम्: charioteer
• सारथिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारथि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son (Duryodhana implied)
• the charioteer of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son
• the foremost chariot-warrior (unnamed in this fragment)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in heroic warfare, outcomes hinge on coordinated roles: the warrior’s prowess must be matched by the charioteer’s steadiness, judgment, and loyalty—highlighting ethical responsibility and interdependence in action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a leading chariot-warrior moves to engage or address the charioteer of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, signaling a tactical moment where attention shifts from the prince to the one steering and supporting him.