Shloka 246

Devanagari script

सध्वज: सह सूतेन जगाम धरणीतलम्‌ | राजन! उस गदाकी चोट खाकर कलिंगराजकुमार प्राणशून्य हो अपने सारथि और ध्वजके साथ ही रथसे नीचे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा

Transliteration

sadhvajaḥ saha sūtena jagāma dharaṇītalam | rājan! us gadākī coṭa khākara kaliṅgarājakumāra prāṇaśūnya ho apane sārathi aura dhvajake sātha hī rathase nīce pṛthvīpara gira paṛā

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—രാജാവേ! ആ ഗദാപ്രഹാരം ഏറ്റ കലിംഗരാജപുത്രൻ പ്രാണം വിട്ടു; സാരഥിയോടും ധ്വജത്തോടും കൂടി രഥത്തിൽ നിന്ന് താഴെ ഭൂമിയിലേക്കു വീണു।

Word by Word

सध्वजःtogether with (his) flag/standard

सहwith, together with

सूतेनwith the charioteer

जगामwent, fell (came down)

धरणीतलम्the surface of the earth, ground

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressed as Rājan)

Kaliṅga prince (Kaliṅgarājakumāra)

Charioteer (Sūta/Sārathi)

Chariot (Ratha)

Banner/standard (Dhvaja)

Mace (Gadā)

Earth/ground (Dharaṇītala/Pṛthvī)

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 the grave ethical weight of warfare: once violence is set in motion, life can end instantly, affecting not only the combatant but also attendants and symbols of status (charioteer and banner). It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic cost inherent in battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the prince of Kaliṅga, struck by a powerful mace-blow, dies on the spot and falls from his chariot to the ground along with his charioteer and the chariot’s banner.