Shloka 49

शैनेयचरितम्

The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement

Devanagari script

भरतनन्दन! उस समय सिंधुराज जयद्रथ सारी सेनाके पीछे महाधनुर्धर कृपाचार्य आदि रथियोंसे सुरक्षित था ।। तस्यास्तां चक्ररक्षौ द्वौ सैन्धवस्य बृहत्तमौ । दौणिर्दक्षिणतो राजन्‌ सूतपुत्रश्न वामत:,राजन! जयद्रथके दो महान्‌ चक्ररक्षक थे। उसके दाहिने चक्रकी अश्वत्थामा और बायें चक्रकी रक्षा सूतपुत्र कर्ण कर रहा था

Transliteration

bharatanandana! tadā sindhurājo jayadrathaḥ sarvasenāyāḥ paścād mahādhanurdharaiḥ kṛpācārya-prabhṛtibhiḥ rathibhiḥ surakṣita āsīt. tasyāstāṃ cakrarakṣau dvau saindhavasya bṛhattamau; dauṇir dakṣiṇato rājan, sūtaputraḥ karṇaś ca vāmatāḥ.

Translation

ສັນຈະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ຜູ້ສືບສາຍພາຣະຕະ! ໃນເວລານັ້ນ ກະສັດແຫ່ງສິນທຸ ຈະຍະດຣະຖະ ຢືນຢູ່ທາງຫຼັງກອງທັບໃຫຍ່ ໂດຍມີການປົກປ້ອງແນ່ນໜາຈາກນັກທະນູຜູ້ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່—ມີກຣິປາຈາຣະຍະ ແລະ ຣະຖີຜູ້ເກັ່ງກ້າອື່ນໆ ເປັນຫົວໜ້າ. ສໍາລັບຈະຍະດຣະຖະ ມີຜູ້ພິທັກລໍ້ລົດສອງຄົນອັນໂດດເດັ່ນ: ດ້ານຂວາແມ່ນ ອັສວັດຖາມາ ລູກຂອງດໂຣນະ, ແລະດ້ານຊ້າຍແມ່ນ ກັນນະ ລູກຂອງສູຕະ (ລູກຄົນຂັບລົດ).

Word by Word

• {'bharatanandana': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra/royal Kuru line)', 'sindhurājaḥ': 'king of Sindhu (Jayadratha)', 'jayadrathaḥ': 'Jayadratha (Saindhava king, ally of the Kauravas)', 'sarvasenāyāḥ paścāt': 'behind the entire army / in the rear of the host', 'mahādhanurdhara': 'great bow-bearer

• expert archer', 'kṛpācārya-prabhṛti': 'beginning with Kripacharya

• chiefly Kripa and others', 'rathin': 'chariot-warrior

• elite fighter on a chariot', 'surakṣita': 'well-guarded, securely protected', 'cakrarakṣa': 'protector of the chariot-wheels/flanks

• close-guard assigned to a chariot', 'dvau': 'two', 'saindhava': 'of the Sindhu king

• Jayadratha', 'bṛhattama': 'most eminent, very great', 'dauṇiḥ': 'son of Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā)', 'dakṣiṇataḥ': 'on the right side', 'rājan': 'O king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'sūtaputraḥ': 'son of a charioteer (epithet of Karṇa)', 'vāmatāḥ': 'on the left side'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied by address 'rājan'/'bharatanandana')
• Jayadratha
• Sindhu (kingdom/region)
• Kripacharya (Kripa)
• Ashvatthama
• Karna
• Kaurava army (implied: 'sarvasenā')
• chariot (ratha) and chariot-wheels (cakra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how warfare often relies on layered protection and coordinated roles: a key figure is shielded by elite guardians. Ethically, it points to the tension between individual heroism and collective structures that can insulate a leader from direct confrontation, making responsibility and accountability in conflict more complex.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes Jayadratha’s position in the battle formation: he stays behind the main army, guarded by foremost chariot-warriors such as Kripacharya. Two principal wheel-guards are assigned—Ashvatthama on the right and Karna on the left—indicating Jayadratha’s strategic importance and the Kauravas’ determination to keep him protected.