Shloka 20

Devanagari script

हाहाकृतमभूत्‌ सैन्यं शाल्वस्य पृथिवीपते । नष्टसंज्ञे निपतिते तदा सौभपतौ नृूपे,पृथ्वीपते! उस समय सौभ विमानका स्वामी राजा शाल्व जब संज्ञाशून्य होकर धराशायी हो गया, तब उसकी समस्त सेनामें हाहाकार मच गया

Transliteration

hāhākṛtam abhūt sainyaṃ śālvasya pṛthivīpate | naṣṭasaṃjñe nipatite tadā saubhapatau nṛpe ||

Translation

O king, when Śālva—the lord of the earth and master of the Saubha aerial city—fell down senseless, his entire army was thrown into panic, and a great cry of distress arose. The scene underscores how quickly martial confidence collapses when leadership is struck down, and how the fortunes of war hinge upon steadiness of mind and command.

Word by Word

• हाहाकृतम्: filled with cries of ‘hā hā’; in an uproar
• हाहाकृतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाहाकृत (प्रातिपदिक; हाहा + कृत)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अभूत्: became / was
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Aorist (लुङ्), 3, Singular

• सैन्यम्: the army
• सैन्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शाल्वस्य: of Śālva
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाल्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पृथिवीपते: O lord of the earth (king)!
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नष्टसंज्ञे: when (he was) unconscious / having lost consciousness
• नष्टसंज्ञे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्टसंज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक; नष्ट + संज्ञ)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• निपतिते: when (he had) fallen down
• निपतिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + पत् (धातु) → निपतित (कृदन्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• सौभपतौ: when the lord of Saubha (airship/city) (was...)
• सौभपतौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभपति (प्रातिपदिक; सौभ + पति)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नृपे: when the king (was...)
• नृपे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Śālva
• Saubha (Saubha-vimāna / aerial city)
• Śālva's army

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the fragility of collective morale in war: when the leader loses composure or is incapacitated, the army’s confidence collapses into chaos. It implicitly values steadiness, responsible command, and the ethical weight borne by rulers whose condition affects many.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva describes a battlefield moment: King Śālva, identified as the master of the Saubha aerial city, falls unconscious. Seeing their king down, Śālva’s troops erupt in a loud outcry and disorder.