Shloka 15

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

रथादाधिरथिरनूनं न्यपतत्‌ सायकार्दित:

Transliteration

rathād ādhirathir anūnaṃ nyapatat sāyakārditaḥ

Translation

അമ്പുകളാൽ കുത്തേറ്റും കീറിപ്പൊളിഞ്ഞും ആയ ആധിരഥി (കർണൻ) നിശ്ചയമായും രഥത്തിൽ നിന്ന് താഴെ വീണു; പ്രാണമില്ലാത്തവനെപ്പോലെ തോന്നി.

Word by Word

• रथात्: from the chariot
• रथात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• आधिरथिः: Adhirathi (Karna)
• आधिरथिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आधिरथि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अनूनम्: surely, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनून

• न्यपतत्: fell down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Singular

• सायकार्दितः: pierced/afflicted by arrows
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सायकार्दित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• ratha (chariot)
• sāyaka (arrows)
• Ādhirathi (charioteer, as designated)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the brutal impartiality of war: even essential supporters like charioteers are vulnerable. It implicitly highlights the ethical cost of conflict—how violence spreads beyond principal warriors and brings suffering to all who are involved.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra reports a battlefield moment: a charioteer referred to as Ādhirathi is struck by arrows and falls from the chariot, suggesting he has been incapacitated or killed, marking a sudden turn in the immediate combat scene.