Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अश्वारोहा महाराज धावमाना इतस्तत: । तत्र तत्रैव दृश्यन्ते निहता: पार्थसायकै:,राजेन्द्र! अर्जुनके बाणोंसे घायल हुए अश्वारोही भी जहाँ-तहाँ इधर-उधर भागते दिखायी दे रहे थे

Transliteration

aśvārohā mahārāja dhāvamānā itastataḥ | tatra tatraiva dṛśyante nihatāḥ pārthasāyakaiḥ ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: О великий царь, всадники, поражённые стрелами Партхи, были видны бегущими во все стороны, появляясь то тут, то там по всему полю.

Word by Word

अश्वारोहाःhorse-riders

महाराजO great king

धावमानाःrunning

इतस्from here / hence

ततःfrom there / thence

तत्रthere

तत्रthere (here and there)

एवindeed / just

दृश्यन्तेare seen / appear

निहताःstruck down / slain

पार्थसायकैःby the arrows of Pārtha (Arjuna)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'mahārāja')

Arjuna (Pārtha)

arrows (sāyaka)

horsemen (aśvārohāḥ)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the swift and far-reaching effects of warfare: even supporting troops like horsemen are overwhelmed by a superior archer. Ethically, it points to the inevitability of suffering once battle is embraced, reminding the listener that martial glory carries immediate human cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s arrows have struck the mounted warriors; they are seen scattered across the battlefield, fleeing in different directions, some effectively ‘struck down’ and no longer able to hold formation.