Shloka 48

Devanagari script

मृगसड्घान्‌ यथा क्रुद्धः सिंहो द्रावयते वने

Transliteration

mṛgasaṅghān yathā kruddhaḥ siṃho drāvayate vane

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Seperti singa yang murka di rimba menghamburkan kawanan rusa, demikianlah sang pahlawan menghalau barisan lawan hingga lari bertempiaran.

Word by Word

• मृगसङ्घान्: herds/groups of deer
• मृगसङ्घान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगसङ्घ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• यथा: as/just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• क्रुद्धः: angered
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुध्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सिंहः: lion
• सिंहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्रावयते: drives away/puts to flight
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु (द्रावयति)
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• lion (siṃha)
• deer (mṛga)
• forest (vana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches how fear spreads in conflict: when a powerful, wrath-driven force strikes, even large groups can lose cohesion. Ethically, it invites reflection on the difference between victory gained by terror and the higher ideal of courage rooted in dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment using a vivid comparison: a dominant warrior’s assault causes enemy formations to scatter, just as deer flee when a furious lion charges through the forest.