Shloka 25
Devanagari script
तस्याश्चाः प्रद्रुता: संख्ये पतिते रथसारथौ
Transliteration
tasyāścāḥ pradrutāḥ saṅkhye patite rathasārathau
Translation
तस्याश्चाः प्रद्रुताः संख्ये पतिते रथसारथौ। दिशो विद्रुत्य संत्रस्ताः शस्त्रनादेन मोहिताḥ॥
Word by Word
तस्याःof her
तस्याः:
Sambandha
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormFeminine, Genitive, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
आःah! (exclamation)
आः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootआः
प्रद्रुताःhaving fled / having run away
प्रद्रुताः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + द्रु (धातु)
FormPast active participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Plural
संख्येin battle
संख्ये:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootसंख्या
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
पतितेwhen (the two) had fallen
पतिते:
Adhikarana
TypeVerb
Rootपत् (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Locative, Dual
रथसारथौin/when the charioteer of the chariot (the two: chariot and charioteer) had fallen
रथसारथौ:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरथसारथि
FormMasculine, Locative, Dual
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaR
ratha (chariot)S
sārathi (charioteer)S
saṅkhya (battlefield)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
The verse highlights a practical ethical lesson of warfare and governance: when the guiding agent (sārathi/leader) falls, morale and order can collapse instantly. It underscores the responsibility of leadership and the fragility of collective courage under crisis.
Sañjaya reports that in the thick of battle, once the charioteer had fallen, the associated troops lost cohesion and fled. The line functions as a battlefield snapshot showing how a single critical loss can trigger a rout.