Shloka 6

Devanagari script

गान्धाराणां सहस्नेण शकुनि: परिवारित: । हतमाधिरथिं दृष्टवा शिबिरायैव दुद्रुवे

Transliteration

gāndhārāṇāṃ sahasreṇa śakuniḥ parivāritaḥ | hatam ādhirathiṃ dṛṣṭvā śibirāyaiva dudruve ||

Translation

हजार गान्धार योद्ध्यांनी वेढलेला शकुनी, अधिरथी (कर्ण) मारला गेला हे पाहून, शिबिराकडेच पळून गेला।

Word by Word

• गान्धाराणाम्: of the Gandharas
• गान्धाराणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गान्धार
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• सहस्रेण: with a thousand (men)
• सहस्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• शकुनिः: Shakuni
• शकुनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिवारितः: surrounded, accompanied
• परिवारितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + वृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हतम्: slain
• हतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आधिरथिम्: the son of Adhiratha (Karna)
• आधिरथिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आधिरथि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• शिबिराय: to the camp
• शिबिराय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिबिर
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• दुद्रुवे: ran away, fled
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śakuni
• Gandhāras
• Ādhirathi (Karna)
• Śibira (camp)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The fall of a central champion exposes the moral and strategic weakness of those who rely on power and cunning rather than dharma; crisis reveals true steadiness, and fear-driven retreat follows when support structures collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Karna (Ādhirathi) has been killed, Śakuni—escorted by a thousand Gandhāra fighters—sees the outcome and immediately withdraws from the battlefield, running back to the Kaurava camp.