Mahabharata 7.173.39 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 173, Shloka 39

Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

तावेकरथमारूढौ पितापुत्रौ महारथौ

Transliteration

tāvekārathamārūḍhau pitāputrau mahārathau

Translation

Disse Sañjaya: Aqueles dois—pai e filho, ambos grandes guerreiros de carruagem—subiram juntos numa única carruagem, movendo-se como um só no aperto da batalha. O verso realça o vínculo íntimo de linhagem e dever, ainda que a guerra obrigue os parentes a agir com disciplina e firmeza sob tensão moral.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• एकरथम्: on one chariot / single-chariot
• एकरथम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकरथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आरूढौ: having mounted / seated (upon)
• आरूढौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-रुह्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुत्रौ: two sons
• पुत्रौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• महारथौ: two great chariot-warriors
• महारथौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• father and son (unnamed in this pāda)
• single chariot (ekaratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how familial bonds and inherited duty can operate within the harsh demands of war: father and son act in coordinated unity, suggesting discipline, loyalty, and the weight of lineage even amid ethically fraught conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a father and son—both renowned chariot-fighters—riding together on a single chariot, indicating a tactical pairing and close cooperation in the ongoing battle scene.