Shloka 52

जयद्रथवधः — The Slaying of Jayadratha

Sunset Vow and Curse-Condition

Devanagari script

काम्बोजसैन्यं विद्राव्य दुर्जयं युधि भारत

Transliteration

kāmbojasainyaṁ vidrāvya durjayaṁ yudhi bhārata

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—काम्बोजसैन्यं विद्राव्य दुर्जयं युधि भारत।

Word by Word

• काम्बोजसैन्यम्: the Kamboja army
• काम्बोजसैन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम्बोज-सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विद्राव्य: having routed / having put to flight
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-द्रु
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• दुर्जयम्: hard to conquer (one)
• दुर्जयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्जय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Kāmbojas
• Kāmboja army

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a wartime ethic where success is not merely defeating bodies but breaking the enemy’s capacity to continue—routing a formidable force. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: martial duty and effectiveness on the battlefield coexist with the larger moral weight of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kāmboja contingent—described as difficult to conquer—has been put to flight in battle, indicating a decisive tactical advantage gained at that moment.