Shloka 4

Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

वध्यमानानि सैन्यानि समन्तात्‌ तैर्महारथै:

Transliteration

vadhyamānāni sainyāni samantāt tair mahārathaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: The armies, being cut down on every side by those great chariot-warriors, were falling into ruin—an image of war’s relentless momentum, where prowess overwhelms multitudes and the moral weight of slaughter presses upon the field.

Word by Word

• वध्यमानानि: being slain / being killed
• वध्यमानानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध्यमान (√वध्/हन् + य + मान)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• सैन्यानि: armies / troops
• सैन्यानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• समन्तात्: on all sides / from every direction
• समन्तात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्तात्

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• महारथैः: by the great chariot-warriors
• महारथैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• mahāratha (great chariot-warriors)
• sainyāni (armies/troops)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the asymmetry of war: a few highly skilled warriors can devastate vast forces, reminding the listener that martial excellence carries grave ethical consequences when it results in indiscriminate destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the troops are being slaughtered from all directions by great chariot-warriors, conveying a battlefield scene where elite fighters are routing and destroying surrounding formations.