Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तस्मिंस्तु निहते चक्रे सूतजेन महात्मना

Transliteration

tasmiṁstu nihate cakre sūtajena mahātmanā

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Apabila roda itu ditumbangkan oleh putera sais kereta yang berhati besar, haluan pertempuran pun berubah—suatu lambang bahawa dalam perang, satu tindakan yang menentukan mampu menggoncang yang terperkasa sekalipun, dan menyingkap rapuhnya kuasa yang bergantung pada alat-alatnya.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (situation/time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• निहते: when (it was) slain/struck down
• निहते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb-derived Adjective (Past Passive Participle)
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• चक्रे: in the wheel/discus
• चक्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सूतजेन: by the charioteer’s son (Karna)
• सूतजेन: Karana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सूतज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Karana
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• cakra (wheel)
• sūtaja (son of a charioteer)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the contingency of worldly power: even a formidable warrior’s momentum can hinge on a single material support (a wheel). Ethically, it points to how outcomes in war often depend on tactical moments rather than pure merit, urging reflection on dharma amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a wheel has been struck down/destroyed in battle by a great warrior described as the 'son of a charioteer' (commonly an epithet associated with Karṇa). This signals a critical turn in the combat sequence being narrated.