Shloka 33

Śalya-parva Adhyāya 26 — Duryodhana’s remnant formation and rapid engagements

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ निपतिते वीरे तावका भयमोहिता:

Transliteration

tasmin nipatite vīre tāvakā bhaya-mohitāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: When that heroic warrior fell, your men were seized by fear and bewilderment—showing how, in war, the collapse of a single pillar of strength can shake an entire host and cloud judgment.

Word by Word

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

• निपतिते: when (he) had fallen
• निपतिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb-derived adjective (past passive participle)
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• तावकाः: your men; the Kauravas (your side)
• तावकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: तावक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भयमोहिताः: deluded/confounded by fear
• भयमोहिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective (past passive participle used adjectivally)
• Root: भय-मोहित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• tāvakāḥ (the Kaurava troops)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical and practical weight of steadiness (dhairya) in crisis: when fear and delusion take over, collective discernment collapses, and adharma-driven panic can spread through an army.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after a prominent warrior has fallen, the Kaurava forces (tāvakāḥ) become frightened and mentally disoriented, indicating a turning point in morale on the battlefield.