Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अभ्यघ्नंस्तावकान्‌ युद्धे मुहूर्तादिव भारत । ततो नि:शेषमभवत्‌ तत्‌ सैन्यं तव भारत,भारत! पाण्डव-सेनासे बहुत-से सैनिकोंने निकलकर युद्धमें एक ही मुहूर्तके भीतर आपके सम्पूर्ण योद्धाओंका संहार कर डाला। भरतनन्दन! उस समय आपकी वह सेना सर्वथा नष्ट हो गयी। उसमेंसे एक भी योद्धा बच न सका

Transliteration

abhyaghnan stāvakān yuddhe muhūrtādiva bhārata | tato niḥśeṣam abhavat tat sainyaṃ tava bhārata ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, pasukan Pāṇḍava menumbangkan orang-orangmu di medan perang seakan dalam satu muhūrta saja. Lalu, wahai Bhārata, bala tentaramu pun lenyap tanpa sisa—musnah seluruhnya; tak seorang pun kesatriamu bertahan.”

Word by Word

अभ्यघ्नन्they struck down / slew

तावकान्your men (your side’s warriors)

युद्धेin battle

मुहूर्तात्within a muhūrta / in less than a muhūrta

इवas if / like

भारतO Bhārata

ततःthen / thereafter

निःशेषम्entirely / without remainder

अभवत्became / came to be

तत्that

सैन्यम्army

तवof you / your

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address “Bhārata” and “tava”)

Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍava-senā, implied)

Kaurava troops (tāvakāḥ)

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 swift and total collapse that can follow when a cause is already morally and strategically exhausted: once adharma-driven conflict reaches its culmination, destruction can come suddenly and leave nothing behind. It also highlights the tragic consequence of obstinacy and misjudgment in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava forces rapidly slaughtered the Kaurava troops; within what seems like a single muhūrta, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s army was annihilated completely, with no survivors.