Shloka 36

Devanagari script

वसातयो महाराज द्विसाहस्तरा: प्रहारिण: । शूरसेनाश्न विक्रान्ता: सर्वे युधि निपातिता:

Transliteration

vasātayo mahārāja dvisāhastarāḥ prahāriṇaḥ | śūrasenāś ca vikrāntāḥ sarve yudhi nipātitāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, the Vasātayas—fighters who struck with two-thousand-strong force—and the valiant Śūrasenas, all of them, were felled in the battle. The report underscores the relentless cost of war: even renowned and powerful warriors, celebrated for prowess, are reduced to casualties amid the tide of violence.

Word by Word

वसातयःVasātis (a people/tribe)

महाराजO great king

द्विसाहस्राःtwo-thousand (in number)

प्रहारिणःstrikers, assailants

शूरसेनाःthe Śūrasenas

चand

विक्रान्ताःvaliant, mighty

सर्वेall

युधिin battle

निपातिताःwere felled/slain

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Vasātayas

Śūrasenas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grim impartiality of war: strength, numbers, and valor do not guarantee survival. It implicitly cautions that martial glory is fragile and that violence consumes even the renowned, inviting reflection on the ethical weight of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Vasātaya contingent and the brave Śūrasena warriors have all been struck down in the fighting, marking a significant loss among the combatants.