Shloka 45

Devanagari script

तथेतरे महेष्वासा: सौभद्रं युध्यपातयन्‌ । अल्पे च कारणे कृष्ण हतो गाण्डीवधन्चना

Transliteration

tathetare maheṣvāsāḥ saubhadraṁ yuddhyapātayan | alpe ca kāraṇe kṛṣṇa hato gāṇḍīvadhanvanā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “So too did the other great bowmen press Saubhadra in battle and bring him down. And, O Kṛṣṇa, for a trifling pretext, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva was slain.” The line underscores the moral dissonance of the war: a heroic life is extinguished not by a just cause proportionate to the deed, but through a small excuse that becomes a gateway to collective violence and adharma.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• इतरे: the others
• इतरे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इतर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महेष्वासाः: great archers
• महेष्वासाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सौभद्रम्: the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu)
• सौभद्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभद्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• अपातयन्: caused to fall, struck down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada, true

• अल्पे: in a small (matter)
• अल्पे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कारणे: in/for a cause, reason
• कारणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कृष्ण: O Kṛṣṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• हतः: slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गाण्डीवधन्वना: by the wielder of Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna)
• गाण्डीवधन्वना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाण्डीवधन्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saubhadra (Abhimanyu)
• Kṛṣṇa
• Gāṇḍīva
• Gāṇḍīvadhanvan (Arjuna)
• other great bowmen (Kaurava warriors collectively)