Shloka 40
Devanagari script
|| सो5वतीर्य रथोपस्थाद्धताश्वो हतसारथि:
Transliteration
so’vatīrya rathopasthād dhatāśvo hatasārathiḥ
Translation
सोऽवतीर्य रथोपस्थाद्धताश्वो हतसारथिः। तस्थौ निराधारो वीरो रणमध्ये महाभयः॥
Word by Word
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अवतीर्यhaving descended
अवतीर्य:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootअव-तॄ
Formल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)
रथोपस्थात्from the chariot-seat
रथोपस्थात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootरथ + उपस्थ
FormMasculine, Ablative, Singular
हताश्वःwhose horses were slain
हताश्वः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootहत + अश्व
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
हतसारथिःwhose charioteer was slain
हतसारथिः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootहत + सारथि
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaC
chariot (ratha)H
horses (aśva)C
charioteer (sārathi)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Even in heroic warfare, a warrior’s strength relies on others—horses, charioteer, and the ordered functioning of roles. When these supports are destroyed, power collapses, highlighting impermanence and the ethical weight of violence that harms not only combatants but all who sustain the battle.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior, after losing both horses and charioteer, is forced to dismount from the chariot. The verse marks a sudden tactical and psychological reversal: the fighter is left exposed and must continue on foot or seek another conveyance.