Shloka 53

Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ निपतिते वीरे सौभद्रो द्रौपदीसुत:

Transliteration

tasmin nipatite vīre saubhadro draupadīsutaḥ

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະເວົ້າວ່າ: ເມື່ອວີລະບຸລຸດນັ້ນລົ້ມລົງ ບຸດຂອງສຸພັດຣາ—ບຸດຂອງດຣາວະປະດີ—ກໍເຄື່ອນໄຫວຕອບໂຕທັນທີ. ຖ້ອຍຄຳນີ້ເປັນຈຸດຫັນຂອງເລື່ອງຮົບ: ການຕົກຕາຍຂອງນັກຮົບຜູ້ໂດດເດັ່ນ ກະຕຸ້ນໃຫ້ວີລະຊົນຄົນຕໍ່ໄປລຸກຂຶ້ນ ຕາມໂຊ່ງໜ້າທີ່, ຄວາມຈົ່ງຮັກ ແລະການຕອບແທນ.

Word by Word

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

• निपतिते: having fallen / fallen
• निपतिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb-derived Adjective (Past Passive Participle)
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• सौभद्रः: Saubhadra (Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā)
• सौभद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun (Patronymic)
• Root: सौभद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्रौपदी-सुतः: Draupadī's son
• द्रौपदी-सुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौपदीसुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saubhadra (Abhimanyu)
• Draupadī’s son (Draupadīsuta/Draupadeya)
• the fallen hero (unnamed in this half-verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of immediate responsibility: when a hero falls, another steps forward. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between loyalty to one’s side and the escalating cycle of vengeance that challenges dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya signals that a prominent warrior has been brought down, and in response Abhimanyu (Saubhadra) and a son of Draupadī come into focus, indicating a shift to the next phase of combat and leadership on the field.