Mahabharata — Drona Parva, Shloka 21
Devanagari script
तत्र चक्रैविमथितैर्भग्नैश्न परमायुधै:
Transliteration
tatra cakrair vimathitair bhagnaiś ca paramāyudhaiḥ
Translation
Санджая сказал: Там поле битвы было взрыхлено и изорвано колёсами колесниц, и даже лучшие оружия лежали разбитыми — образ неумолимой силы войны, где гордость оружием рушится перед самим напором разрушения.
Word by Word
तत्रthere
तत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र
Formindeclinable (locative adverb: 'there')
चक्रैःwith/by discs (wheels)
चक्रैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootचक्र
Formneuter, instrumental, plural
विमथितैःcrushed/churned/ground down
विमथितैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootवि-मथ्
Formneuter, instrumental, plural (past passive participle; agreeing with चक्रैः)
भग्नैःbroken
भग्नैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootभञ्ज्
Formneuter, instrumental, plural (past passive participle; agreeing with चक्रैः)
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
Formindeclinable (negation)
परमsupreme, excellent
परम:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootपरम
Formneuter, instrumental, plural (agreeing with आयुधैः; often in compound with it)
आयुधैःwith weapons
आयुधैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootआयुध
Formneuter, instrumental, plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
C
cakra (chariot wheels)Ā
āyudha (weapons)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 underscores the fragility of worldly power: even ‘supreme weapons’ are broken amid the churn of battle, suggesting that reliance on force and armaments is unstable and ethically sobering.
Sañjaya describes the scene of combat: chariot wheels grind through the field, and weapons are smashed—conveying the intensity and chaos of the fighting in the Droṇa Parva.