Shloka 36

Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot

Devanagari script

व्यंसनेनाश्वसेनस्य पन्नगेन्द्रस्थ वै पुन: । पुनश्न पतिते चक्रे व्यसनार्त: पराजित:

Transliteration

vyaṁsanenāśvasenasya pannagendrāstha vai punaḥ | punaś ca patite cakre vyasanārtaḥ parājitaḥ ||

Translation

വീണ്ടും നാഗരാജന്റെ മേൽ ആരൂഢനായ അശ്വസേന വീണു; ചക്രവും വീണ്ടും കൈവിട്ട് വീണപ്പോൾ, അവൻ ദുരന്തത്തിൽ വിങ്ങി പരാജിതനായി നിന്നു.

Word by Word

व्यसनेनby/through misfortune, calamity

अश्वसेनस्यof Aśvasena

पन्नगेन्द्रस्थःstanding/being on the lord of serpents (i.e., on the serpent-king)

वैindeed, surely

पुनःagain

नnot

पतितेwhen (it) had fallen; in the fallen (state)

चक्रेin/when the discus (wheel) (was)

व्यसनार्तःdistressed by calamity

पराजितःdefeated, overcome

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Aśvasena

Pannagendra (serpent-king)

Cakra (discus)

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 fragility of martial power: when one’s supports (mount, allies) and instruments (weapons) fail—especially repeatedly—confidence and capacity collapse. It points to the ethical realism of the epic: valor alone does not guarantee success; conditions, fortune, and prior causes (karma) also shape outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Aśvasena, riding upon the serpent-king, suffers another setback; simultaneously the discus (cakra) falls again. Struck by this repeated misfortune, Aśvasena becomes distressed and is described as defeated.