Shloka 70

युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya

Devanagari script

विपताकध्वजच्छत्रा व्यश्वसूतायुधा रणे

Transliteration

vipatākadhvajacchatrā vyaśvasūtāyudhā raṇe

Translation

Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, their banners and parasols were shattered; their horses, charioteers, and weapons were lost—an image of war’s stripping away of pride and protection, leaving only the stark consequence of violence.

Word by Word

• विपताकध्वजच्छत्राः: having their banners, standards, and umbrellas (lost/ruined)
• विपताकध्वजच्छत्राः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपताक-ध्वज-च्छत्र
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• व्यश्वसूतायुधाः: deprived of horses, charioteers, and weapons
• व्यश्वसूतायुधाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अश्व-सूत-आयुध
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• banners (dhvaja/patāka)
• parasols (chatra)
• horses (aśva)
• charioteers (sūta)
• weapons (āyudha)
• battlefield (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power: royal emblems (banners, parasols) and the instruments of might (horses, charioteers, weapons) can be destroyed in an instant, reminding the listener that pride in external supports is unstable amid adharma-driven violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield condition after intense fighting: combatants are left with shattered standards and parasols and are bereft of horses, charioteers, and weapons—signs of severe rout and devastation in the ongoing Kurukṣetra war.