Shloka 9

Devanagari script

गान्धारराज: शकुनिस्त्रस्तस्त्रस्ततरैः सह । हतं रुक्मरथं श्रुत्वा प्राद्रवत्‌ सहितो रथै:

Transliteration

gāndhārarājaḥ śakunistrastastrastataraiḥ saha | hataṃ rukmarathaṃ śrutvā prādravat sahito rathaiḥ ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ເມື່ອໄດ້ຍິນວ່າ ຣຸກມະຣະຖະ ຖືກສັງຫານ ຊະກຸນິ ກະສັດແຫ່ງຄັນທາຣະ—ຜູ້ທີ່ສັ່ນສະທ້ານດ້ວຍຄວາມຢ້ານຢູ່ແລ້ວ—ກໍຫນີອອກໄປຢ່າງຮີບຮ້ອນ ພ້ອມກັບຜູ້ອື່ນທີ່ຢ້ານຫນັກກວ່າ ແລະພ້ອມລົດຮົບຂອງພວກເຂົາ.

Word by Word

गान्धारराजःthe king of Gandhāra

शकुनिःŚakuni

त्रस्तःfrightened

त्रस्ततरैःwith (others) more frightened

सहtogether with

हतम्slain

रुक्मरथम्Rukmaratha (lit. 'golden-chariot')

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

प्राद्रवत्ran away / fled forth

सहितःaccompanied

रथैःwith chariots

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śakuni

Gandhāra

Rukmaratha

chariots (ratha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring ethical insight of the Mahābhārata: violence destabilizes minds and communities. When a prominent fighter falls, fear can cascade through an army, exposing how fragile confidence is and how leadership is tested by panic rather than prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śakuni, identified as the king of Gandhāra, hears that the warrior Rukmaratha has been killed. Overcome by fear, Śakuni runs off, accompanied by others who are even more frightened, along with their chariots.