Shloka 13

Devanagari script

स दग्धो द्रोणकर्णाभ्यां दिव्यैरस्त्रमहारथ: । अथादीप्तोडग्निना हयाशु प्रजज्वाल महीपते,पृथ्वीनाथ! इसके बाद अर्जुनका वह विशाल रथ, जो द्रोण और कर्णके दिव्यास्त्रोंद्वारा दग्धप्राय हो गया था, तुरंत ही आगसे प्रज्वलित हो उठा

Transliteration

sa dagdho droṇakarṇābhyāṃ divyair astramahārathaḥ | athādīpto 'gninā hy āśu prajajvāla mahīpate pṛthvīnātha |

Translation

Sañjaya said: O king, that great chariot—already nearly consumed by the divine missiles of Droṇa and Karṇa—was then quickly kindled by fire and burst into flames, O lord of the earth. The scene underscores how the momentum of war turns even famed instruments of heroism into fragile, perishable things when driven by relentless martial fury.

Word by Word

सःhe/that (one)

दग्धःburnt, scorched

द्रोणकर्णाभ्याम्by Drona and Karna

दिव्यैःwith divine

अस्त्रमहारथःthe great warrior of weapons (mighty chariot-warrior)

अथthen

आदीप्तःkindled, blazing

उदग्निनाwith/through blazing fire

हयाशुthe swift-horsed (chariot/warrior)

प्रजज्वालblazed forth

महीपतेO king

पृथ्वीनाथO lord of the earth

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa

Karṇa

Arjuna's chariot

fire (agni)

divine weapons (divyāni astrāṇi)

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?

Even the most renowned instruments of power—like a great chariot protected by skill and fame—can be swiftly destroyed when war escalates through divine weaponry; the passage highlights the fragility of worldly strength amid unchecked violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that the great chariot (understood as Arjuna’s) had already been badly scorched by the divine missiles associated with Droṇa and Karṇa, and then it suddenly caught fire and flared up.