Shloka 55

Devanagari script

दुःशासन पुरस्कृत्य राजपुत्रा: सहस्रश:

Transliteration

duḥśāsana-puraskṛtya rājaputrāḥ sahasraśaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Dengan Duḥśāsana diletakkan di barisan hadapan, putera-putera raja mara beribu-ribu—gambaran kekuatan yang dihimpunkan mengelilingi seorang penghasut yang terkenal, ketika bilangan yang besar dijadikan alat bagi kehendak yang mengeras oleh permusuhan, bukan oleh pengekangan diri.

Word by Word

• दुःशासनम्: Duhshasana (name of a Kaurava)
• दुःशासनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशासन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरस्कृत्य: having placed in front / putting forward
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् + कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage as avyaya)

• राजपुत्राः: princes (sons of kings)
• राजपुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सहस्रशः: by the thousand / in thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस्
• Form: adverb (शस्-pratyaya)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• दुःशासन (Duḥśāsana)
• राजपुत्राः (the king’s sons / princes)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how leadership choice shapes collective action: when a figure known for harshness is placed at the front, the multitude’s power tends to be directed toward aggression rather than dharmic restraint—suggesting that numbers amplify the moral quality of the leadership guiding them.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the royal princes (the Kaurava side) move in great numbers, with Duḥśāsana positioned as the foremost leader in that advance, indicating an organized surge or charge led by him.