Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 39

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

Devanagari script

सुरथं तं ततः क्रुद्धमापतन्तं महारथम्‌

Transliteration

surathaṃ taṃ tataḥ kruddham āpatantaṃ mahāratham

Translation

ਫਿਰ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਨਾਲ ਚੜ੍ਹਾਈ ਕਰਦਾ ਆ ਰਿਹਾ ਉਹ ਮਹਾਰਥੀ ਸੁਰਥ (ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ/ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨਾ ਕਰ ਕੇ)।

Word by Word

• सु-रथम्: the good chariot / well-equipped chariot
• सु-रथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तम्: him / that (one)
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: then / thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)

• क्रुद्धम्: angry
• क्रुद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुध् (धातु) → क्रुद्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आपतन्तम्: rushing/charging (towards)
• आपतन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग) → आपतत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त) → आपतन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महा-रथम्: the great chariot-warrior
• महा-रथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• महāratha (great chariot-warrior)
• suratha (battle-chariot)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (krodha) drives escalation in war: an elite warrior, seized by wrath, rushes into attack. Ethically, it points to the peril of letting rage govern action, even within a kṣatriya context where courage and duty are expected.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a great chariot-warrior, mounted on a fine battle-chariot, becomes enraged and charges forward to engage—signaling an imminent close encounter or renewed assault in the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle.