Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तस्याश्चाः प्रद्रुता: संख्ये पतिते रथसारथौ

Transliteration

tasyāścāḥ pradrutāḥ saṅkhye patite rathasārathau

Translation

Sañjaya said: When her charioteer had fallen in the midst of battle, her forces broke and fled from the field—an image of how, in war, the collapse of guidance and command can swiftly turn courage into panic.

Word by Word

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

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

• आः: ah! (exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आः

• प्रद्रुताः: having fled / having run away
• प्रद्रुताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + द्रु (धातु)
• Form: Past active participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• पतिते: when (the two) had fallen
• पतिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Locative, Dual

• रथसारथौ: in/when the charioteer of the chariot (the two: chariot and charioteer) had fallen
• रथसारथौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथसारथि
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• ratha (chariot)
• sārathi (charioteer)
• saṅkhya (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a practical ethical lesson of warfare and governance: when the guiding agent (sārathi/leader) falls, morale and order can collapse instantly. It underscores the responsibility of leadership and the fragility of collective courage under crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that in the thick of battle, once the charioteer had fallen, the associated troops lost cohesion and fled. The line functions as a battlefield snapshot showing how a single critical loss can trigger a rout.