Shloka 57

Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)

Devanagari script

भग्नचक्रै रथै: कांश्षिच्छिन्नध्वजपताकिभि: । हताश्वैर्हतसूतैश्न भग्नाक्षैश्षैव मारिष

Transliteration

bhagnacakrair rathaiḥ kāṁś cicchinnadhvajapatākibhiḥ | hatāśvair hatasūtaiś ca bhagnākṣaiś caiva māriṣa ||

Translation

Wahai yang mulia! Sebagian kereta tampak dengan roda-roda yang remuk; sebagian panji dan umbul-umbulnya tertebas; sebagian kuda-kudanya terbunuh; sebagian saisnya tewas; dan sebagian lagi porosnya pun patah.

Word by Word

भग्नचक्रैःwith broken wheels

रथैःwith chariots

कांश्चित्some

छिन्नध्वजपताकिभिःwith banners and pennants cut off

हताश्वैःwith horses slain

हतसूतैःwith charioteers slain

भग्नाक्षैःwith axles broken

एवindeed/just

मारिषO sir (term of address)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

chariots (ratha)

wheels (cakra)

banners/standards (dhvaja)

pennants/flags (patākā)

horses (aśva)

charioteers (sūta)

axles (akṣa)

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 verse underscores the stark impermanence of martial power: chariots, standards, horses, and skilled drivers—symbols of status and strength—are quickly reduced to ruin in war, prompting reflection on the cost of violence and the fragility of worldly supports.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the listener (addressed as “māriṣa”) the battlefield scene: various chariots have been disabled in multiple ways—wheels shattered, flags cut down, horses and charioteers slain, and axles broken—conveying the intensity and devastation of the fighting.