Shloka 4

Devanagari script

'प्रजानाथ! शत्रुओंके साथ-साथ तुमलोगोंके पास भी विशाल सेना जुट गयी थी; परंतु परस्पर युद्ध करके प्रायः नष्ट हो गयी, अब थोड़ी-सी ही शेष रह गयी है ।।

Transliteration

bhūtvā vai kauravāḥ pārtha prabhūta-gaja-vājinaḥ | tvāṃ vai śatruṃ samāsādya vinaṣṭā raṇa-mūrdhani ||

Translation

ಓ ಪಾರ್ಥನೇ! ಕೌರವರು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಅಪಾರ ಆನೆ-ಕುದುರೆಗಳಿಂದ ಸಮೃದ್ಧವಾದ ಮಹಾಸೇನೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದರು; ಆದರೆ ನಿನ್ನಂತಹ ದುರ್ಧರ್ಷ ಶತ್ರುವನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಿದ ಕ್ಷಣವೇ ಅವರು ಯುದ್ಧದ ಮುಂಚೂಣಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ನಾಶರಾದರು.

Word by Word

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• वै: indeed
• वै: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• कौरवाः: the Kauravas
• कौरवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पार्थ: O Partha (Arjuna)
• पार्थ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रभूत: abundant, numerous
• प्रभूत: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभूत (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• गजवाजिनः: elephants and horses (those possessing them / elephant-and-horse forces)
• गजवाजिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजवाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• शत्रुम्: enemy
• शत्रुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समासाद्य: having approached/encountered
• समासाद्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• विनष्टाः: were destroyed, perished
• विनष्टाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√नश् (धातु) / विनष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used predicatively), Masculine, Nominative, Plural, कर्मणि (sense), predicative

• रणमूर्धनि: on the battlefield-front / at the head of battle
• रणमूर्धनि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रणमूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Kauravas
• elephants
• horses
• battlefront (raṇa-mūrdhan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even vast material strength—numbers, elephants, horses—can collapse when opposed by superior valor, strategy, and the momentum of dharma-driven resolve; the verse underscores the fragility of power when it is misdirected or ethically compromised.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava forces, though once immense and well-equipped, have been largely destroyed after confronting Arjuna (Pārtha) at the forefront of the fighting.