Shloka 53

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ निपतिते वीरे सौभद्रो द्रौपदीसुत:

Transliteration

tasmin nipatite vīre saubhadro draupadīsutaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: When that heroic warrior had fallen, the son of Subhadrā—Draupadī’s son—(then acted/advanced). The line marks a turning point in the battle narrative: the fall of a notable fighter provokes an immediate response from the next champion, underscoring the chain of duty, loyalty, and retaliation that drives the war’s moral tension.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in/when that (one/that situation)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• निपतिते: having fallen / fallen
• निपतिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb-derived Adjective (Past Passive Participle)
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• वीरे: in the hero/warrior
• वीरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सौभद्रः: Saubhadra (Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā)
• सौभद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun (Patronymic)
• Root: सौभद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्रौपदी-सुतः: Draupadī's son
• द्रौपदी-सुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौपदीसुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saubhadra (Abhimanyu)
• Draupadī’s son (Draupadīsuta/Draupadeya)
• the fallen hero (unnamed in this half-verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of immediate responsibility: when a hero falls, another steps forward. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between loyalty to one’s side and the escalating cycle of vengeance that challenges dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya signals that a prominent warrior has been brought down, and in response Abhimanyu (Saubhadra) and a son of Draupadī come into focus, indicating a shift to the next phase of combat and leadership on the field.