Shloka 39

Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

तावेकरथमारूढौ पितापुत्रौ महारथौ

Transliteration

tāvekārathamārūḍhau pitāputrau mahārathau

Translation

Sañjaya said: Those two—father and son, both great chariot-warriors—mounted a single chariot together, moving as one in the press of battle. The line underscores the intimate bond of lineage and duty, even as war compels kin to act with disciplined resolve amid moral strain.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• एकरथम्: on one chariot / single-chariot
• एकरथम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकरथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आरूढौ: having mounted / seated (upon)
• आरूढौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-रुह्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुत्रौ: two sons
• पुत्रौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• महारथौ: two great chariot-warriors
• महारथौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• father and son (unnamed in this pāda)
• single chariot (ekaratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how familial bonds and inherited duty can operate within the harsh demands of war: father and son act in coordinated unity, suggesting discipline, loyalty, and the weight of lineage even amid ethically fraught conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a father and son—both renowned chariot-fighters—riding together on a single chariot, indicating a tactical pairing and close cooperation in the ongoing battle scene.