Shloka 49

Devanagari script

भरतनन्दन! उस समय सिंधुराज जयद्रथ सारी सेनाके पीछे महाधनुर्धर कृपाचार्य आदि रथियोंसे सुरक्षित था ।। तस्यास्तां चक्ररक्षौ द्वौ सैन्धवस्य बृहत्तमौ । दौणिर्दक्षिणतो राजन्‌ सूतपुत्रश्न वामत:,राजन! जयद्रथके दो महान्‌ चक्ररक्षक थे। उसके दाहिने चक्रकी अश्वत्थामा और बायें चक्रकी रक्षा सूतपुत्र कर्ण कर रहा था

Transliteration

bharatanandana! tadā sindhurājo jayadrathaḥ sarvasenāyāḥ paścād mahādhanurdharaiḥ kṛpācārya-prabhṛtibhiḥ rathibhiḥ surakṣita āsīt. tasyāstāṃ cakrarakṣau dvau saindhavasya bṛhattamau; dauṇir dakṣiṇato rājan, sūtaputraḥ karṇaś ca vāmatāḥ.

Translation

Sanjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, at that time the king of Sindhu, Jayadratha, remained positioned behind the main body of the army, heavily protected by great bowmen—foremost among them Kripacharya and other leading chariot-warriors. For Jayadratha there were two eminent guardians of the chariot-wheels: on his right side stood Drona’s son, Ashvatthama, and on his left side the charioteer’s son, Karna. The scene underscores how, in war, power is often organized through layered protection and elite alliances—raising the ethical tension between personal valor and the collective machinery that shields a key figure from direct accountability.

Word by Word

• {'bharatanandana': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra/royal Kuru line)', 'sindhurājaḥ': 'king of Sindhu (Jayadratha)', 'jayadrathaḥ': 'Jayadratha (Saindhava king, ally of the Kauravas)', 'sarvasenāyāḥ paścāt': 'behind the entire army / in the rear of the host', 'mahādhanurdhara': 'great bow-bearer

• expert archer', 'kṛpācārya-prabhṛti': 'beginning with Kripacharya

• chiefly Kripa and others', 'rathin': 'chariot-warrior

• elite fighter on a chariot', 'surakṣita': 'well-guarded, securely protected', 'cakrarakṣa': 'protector of the chariot-wheels/flanks

• close-guard assigned to a chariot', 'dvau': 'two', 'saindhava': 'of the Sindhu king

• Jayadratha', 'bṛhattama': 'most eminent, very great', 'dauṇiḥ': 'son of Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā)', 'dakṣiṇataḥ': 'on the right side', 'rājan': 'O king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'sūtaputraḥ': 'son of a charioteer (epithet of Karṇa)', 'vāmatāḥ': 'on the left side'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied by address 'rājan'/'bharatanandana')
• Jayadratha
• Sindhu (kingdom/region)
• Kripacharya (Kripa)
• Ashvatthama
• Karna
• Kaurava army (implied: 'sarvasenā')
• chariot (ratha) and chariot-wheels (cakra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how warfare often relies on layered protection and coordinated roles: a key figure is shielded by elite guardians. Ethically, it points to the tension between individual heroism and collective structures that can insulate a leader from direct confrontation, making responsibility and accountability in conflict more complex.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes Jayadratha’s position in the battle formation: he stays behind the main army, guarded by foremost chariot-warriors such as Kripacharya. Two principal wheel-guards are assigned—Ashvatthama on the right and Karna on the left—indicating Jayadratha’s strategic importance and the Kauravas’ determination to keep him protected.