Shloka 39

Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava

Devanagari script

विमुच्य कवचान्यन्ये पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिका:

Transliteration

vimucya kavacāny anye pāṇḍuputrasya sainikāḥ

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പാണ്ഡുപുത്രന്റെ സൈന്യത്തിലെ ചിലർ യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ തിരക്കിൽ കവചങ്ങൾ അഴിച്ചെറിഞ്ഞു; അത് ക്ഷീണത്തിന്റെയും അക്രമത്തിന്റെയും അടയാളമായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

विमुच्यhaving cast off / after removing

कवचानिarmours

अन्येothers

पाण्डुपुत्रस्यof the son of Pāṇḍu (i.e., of the Pāṇḍava)

सैनिकाःsoldiers

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍuputra (Yudhiṣṭhira / the Pāṇḍavas)

Pāṇḍava soldiers

kavaca (armor)

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 line underscores the human cost of war: even trained warriors may falter under fear, fatigue, or confusion. It implicitly contrasts the ideal of steadfast kṣatriya resolve with the reality of battlefield strain, inviting reflection on duty, endurance, and the ethical weight of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that some soldiers on the Pāṇḍava side cast off their armor. In context, this typically signals distress—either retreat, panic, injury, or exhaustion—amid the ongoing fighting.