Shloka 14
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
Devanagari script
कथं रणे हत: शल्यो धर्मराजेन संजय
Transliteration
kathaṁ raṇe hataḥ śalyo dharmarājena sañjaya
Translation
ਧ੍ਰਿਤਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਹੇ ਸੰਜਯ! ਧਰਮਰਾਜ ਨੇ ਰਣ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ਲ੍ਯ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਮਾਰਿਆ? ਮੈਨੂੰ ਯਥਾਰਥ ਦੱਸ।
Word by Word
कथम्how?
कथम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम्
रणेin battle
रणे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरण
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
हतःslain
हतः:
TypeAdjective
Rootहन् (हत-)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
शल्यःShalya
शल्यः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootशल्य
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
धर्मराजेनby Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira)
धर्मराजेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootधर्मराज
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
संजयO Sanjaya
संजय:
TypeNoun
Rootसंजय
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaŚ
ŚalyaD
Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)B
battlefield (raṇa)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into violence and responsibility: even a ruler famed for righteousness (Dharmarāja) must sometimes act decisively in war. It invites reflection on how dharma operates under the harsh constraints of battle and duty.
Sañjaya introduces a question about the circumstances of Śalya’s death on the battlefield—specifically, how Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) managed to slay him—setting up the ensuing account of the combat and its outcome.