Shloka 193

Devanagari script

चित्रसेनशिर: कायादपाहरत पाण्डव: । तत्पश्चात्‌ पाण्डुकुमारने सुन्दर नासिका और विशाल नेत्रोंसे युक्त कुण्डल और मुकुटसहित चित्रसेनके मस्तकको धड़से काट लिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | citrasenaśiraḥ kāyād apāharat pāṇḍavaḥ | tataḥ paścāt pāṇḍukumāreṇa sundaranāsikā-viśālanetra-yuktaṃ kuṇḍala-mukuṭa-sahitaṃ citrasenasya mastakaṃ dhaḍāt kāṭitam |

Translation

Санджая сказал: Один из Пандавов сразил Читрасену, отсёк ему голову и унес её прочь от тела. Затем сын Панду отделил голову Читрасены от туловища — украшенную серьгами и венцом, с красивым носом и большими глазами, — показывая мрачную окончательность полевой «справедливости», где доблесть и судьба сходятся в утрате, не подлежащей возврату.

Word by Word

चित्रसेनशिरःthe head of Chitrasena

कायात्from the body

अपाहरत्took away / removed

पाण्डवःthe Pandava (son of Pandu)

तत्that / then

पश्चात्afterwards

पाण्डुकुमारःthe son of Pandu

सुन्दरनासिकयाwith a beautiful nose

विशालनेत्रैःwith large eyes

युक्तम्endowed / furnished

कुण्डलमुकुटसहितम्together with earrings and a crown

चित्रसेनस्यof Chitrasena

मस्तकम्head

धड़ात्from the trunk

अकाटयत्caused to be cut / cut off

लिल्येtook / seized (as per context)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Pandava (son of Pandu)

Citrasena

head (śiras/mastaka)

body/trunk (kāya/dhaḍa)

earrings (kuṇḍala)

crown (mukuṭa)

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 underscores the harsh dharma of war: in a kṣatriya battle context, victory and death are decisive, and even a noble, ornamented warrior meets the same end—highlighting impermanence and the grave ethical weight of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that a Pandava kills the warrior Citrasena by severing his head from his body; the description notes the head’s ornaments (earrings and crown) and features, emphasizing the dramatic, brutal closure of the combat.