Shloka 50

Devanagari script

पाषाणयोधिभिननू्‌नं युयुधान: समागत: । तथा हि रथिन: सर्वे ह्वियन्ते विद्रुतैर्हयै:,“निश्चय ही युयुधान पाषाणयोधी योद्धाओंसे भिड़ गया है, तभी तो ये भागे हुए घोड़े सम्पूर्ण रथियोंको रणभूमिसे बाहर लिये जा रहे हैं

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

pāṣāṇayodhibhir nūnaṃ yuyudhānaḥ samāgataḥ |

tathā hi rathinaḥ sarve hriyante vidrutair hayaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Surely Yuyudhāna has come into close combat with the stone-weapon fighters; for that is why the horses, bolting in panic, are dragging all the charioteers away from the battlefield.”

Word by Word

पाषाणयोधिभिःby the stone-fighters (those who fight with stones)

नूनम्surely, indeed

युयुधानःYuyudhāna (Sātyaki)

समागतःhas come/has encountered, has met

तथाthus, in that way

हिindeed, for

रथिनःchariot-warriors

सर्वेall

ह्वियन्तेare being driven/impelled (are being carried along)

विद्रुतैःby fleeing, runaway

हयैःby horses

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki)

pāṣāṇayodhī (stone-weapon fighters)

rathinaḥ (chariot-warriors)

hayāḥ (horses)

raṇabhūmi (battlefield, implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the visible effects of panic in war—runaway horses dragging chariots—allow a discerning observer to infer the hidden cause: a fierce clash with a formidable opponent. It also underscores the ethical weight of steadfastness in a kṣatriya context, where one warrior’s engagement can decisively shape the field.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) has engaged the ‘stone-fighters’ in close combat. As evidence, he notes that frightened, fleeing horses are pulling chariots and their riders away from the fighting area, indicating sudden disruption and pressure on the chariot ranks.