Shloka 196

Devanagari script

भयात्‌ पतगराजस्य गर्तानीव महोरगा: । जैसे बड़े-बड़े सर्प गरुड़के भयसे बिलोंमें घुस जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार आपके वे सभी पराजित सैनिक द्रोणाचार्यके रथके पास इकट्ठे हो गये

Transliteration

bhayāt patagarājasya gartānīva mahoragāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Out of fear of the king of birds (Garuḍa), great serpents slip into their holes; in the same way, all your defeated soldiers, shaken and seeking refuge, gathered close to Droṇācārya’s chariot.”

Word by Word

• भयात्: from fear
• भयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• पतगराजस्य: of the king of birds (Garuḍa)
• पतगराजस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतगराज
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• गर्तानि: pits, holes
• गर्तानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• महोरगाः: great serpents
• महोरगाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महोरग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Garuḍa (Patagarāja)
• serpents (mahoragāḥ)
• holes/burrows (gartāni)
• Droṇācārya
• Droṇa’s chariot

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how fear drives beings to seek shelter under a stronger protector: defeated warriors instinctively cluster around a commanding figure (Droṇa), just as serpents retreat to burrows when threatened by Garuḍa. It underscores the psychological ethics of battle—panic, dependence, and the search for security amid collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops, having been routed, regroup near Droṇācārya’s chariot for protection and reorganization, using the vivid comparison of serpents hiding from Garuḍa.