Shloka 103

Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)

Devanagari script

ते द्राव्यमाणा: समरे हार्दिक्येन महारथा: । विमुखा: समपद्यन्त शरवृष्टिभिरार्दिता:,समरांगणमें कृतवर्माके द्वारा खदेड़े गये और उसकी बाण-वर्षसे पीड़ित हुए पूर्वोक्त सभी महारथियोंने युद्धसे मुँह मोड़ लिया

Transliteration

te drāvyamāṇāḥ samare hārdikyena mahārathāḥ | vimukhāḥ samapadyanta śaravṛṣṭibhir ārditāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Driven back in the battle by Hārdikya (Kṛtavarman), those great chariot-warriors—tormented by his shower of arrows—turned away from the fight and fell into retreat. The scene underscores how, in war, even renowned heroes may be forced to withdraw when overpowered, and how prowess can abruptly shift the moral and strategic balance on the field.

Word by Word

• ते: they (those)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• द्राव्यमाणाः: being driven away / being put to flight
• द्राव्यमाणाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रु (धातु) + णिच् (द्रावय) + यमाण (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• हार्दिक्येन: by Hārdikya (Kṛtavarman)
• हार्दिक्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हार्दिक्य (कृतवर्मन्-सम्बन्धी)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महारथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विमुखाः: turned away / facing away
• विमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समपद्यन्त: they became / they came to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• शरवृष्टिभिः: by showers of arrows
• शरवृष्टिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• आर्दिताः: afflicted / pained
• आर्दिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्द् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Hārdikya (Kṛtavarman)
• mahārathas (the great chariot-warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the realism of dharma-yuddha: courage is praised, yet tactical withdrawal can occur when a warrior is overwhelmed. It also illustrates how individual prowess (here, Kṛtavarman’s) can decisively alter the battlefield, reminding readers that fame does not guarantee invulnerability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the previously mentioned elite warriors are driven back by Kṛtavarman (Hārdikya). Struck and distressed by his intense arrow-barrage, they turn away from the fight and retreat.