Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एतद्‌ बलमभूच्छेषं धार्तराष्ट्रस्य माधव । “माधव! दुर्योधनकी सेनामें अश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य, त्रिगर्तराज सुशर्मा, उलूक, शकुनि और सात्वतवंशी कृतवर्मा--ये थोड़े-से ही वीर सैनिक शेष रह गये हैं ।। मोक्षो न नूनं कालात्‌ तु विद्यते भुवि कस्यचित्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

etad balam abhūc cheṣaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrasya mādhava |

mokṣo na nūnaṃ kālāt tu vidyate bhuvi kasyacit ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «О Мадхава, такова вся оставшаяся сила войска Дхритараштры. Воистину, на земле нет никому спасения от Времени».

Word by Word

एतत्this

बलम्force, army, strength

अभूत्became, was

शेषम्remaining

धार्तराष्ट्रस्यof Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s (son), i.e., Duryodhana’s

माधवO Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa)

मोक्षःliberation, release

नnot

नूनम्surely, indeed

कालात्from Time (death/time)

तुbut, however

विद्यतेexists, is found

भुविon earth, in the world

कस्यचित्of anyone, for anyone

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Madhava (Krishna)

Dhritarashtra (via dhārtarāṣṭra)

Time (Kāla)

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 inevitability of Kāla (Time/Death): worldly power dwindles, and no being can ultimately evade Time’s decree—an ethical reminder against pride and attachment to transient might.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to the listener that only a remnant of the Kaurava (Dhritarashtra’s) forces remains, and he frames this collapse within the larger truth that none can escape the workings of Time.