Mahabharata 7.159.23 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 159, Shloka 23

अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः

Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle

Devanagari script

अमर्षयन्तो निहतं शतचन्द्रं महारथम्‌

Transliteration

amarṣayanto nihataṃ śatacandraṃ mahāratham

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Incapazes de suportar, remoeram a queda do grande guerreiro de carro, Śatacandra, que fora morto—imagem de como o luto e o orgulho ferido irrompem no caos moral da batalha.

Word by Word

• अमर्षयन्तः: they were not enduring / they were becoming intolerant (were resenting)
• अमर्षयन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अमर्षयत् (अमर्षयति; धातु: मृष्/मर्ष्, caus.)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम, बहुवचनम्

• निहतम्: slain
• निहतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निहत (√हन् + नि; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• शतचन्द्रम्: Śatacandra (proper name)
• शतचन्द्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतचन्द्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• महारथम्: the great chariot-warrior
• महारथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śatacandra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the epic: in war, the death of a renowned warrior does not end conflict but often intensifies it, as resentment and wounded honor drive further violence—showing how passions can eclipse discernment (dharma-viveka) amid battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the warriors on one side (implied by context) could not tolerate the killing of the great fighter Śatacandra; their indignation and grief rise, setting the emotional ground for retaliation and renewed combat.