Shloka 14

Devanagari script

राजपुत्रसहसे द्वे वीरांश्वालक्षितान्‌ बहून्‌ । बृहद्धलं च राजानं स्वर्गेणाजौ प्रयोज्य ह

Transliteration

rājaputra-sahase dve vīrān śvālakitān bahūn | bṛhaddhalaṃ ca rājānaṃ svargeṇājau prayojya ha ||

Translation

राजपुत्रसहस्रे द्वे वीरांश्चालक्षितान् बहून् । बृहद्धलं च राजानं स्वर्गेणाजौ प्रयोज्य ह ॥

Word by Word

राजपुत्रसहसेin the multitude of princes

द्वेtwo

वीरान्heroes/warriors

चand

अलक्षितान्unnoticed/unrecognized

बहून्many

बृहद्धलम्having a great army

चand

राजानम्the king

स्वर्गेणto heaven / with heaven (i.e., to the heavenly state)

अजौin battle

प्रयोज्यhaving dispatched/sent (to)

हindeed/for emphasis

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

rājaputra (princes)

Bṛhaddhala

svarga (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic that death in righteous battle is framed as “going to heaven,” while also hinting at the moral weight of mass killing—named and unnamed—within kṣatriya duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira reports the scale of slaughter in the fighting: two thousand princes, many other unidentified warriors, and King Bṛhaddhala are said to have been sent to heaven (i.e., killed) in the battle.