Shloka 52

Devanagari script

शीर्णप्रवरयोधाद्य हतवाजिरथद्विपा

Transliteration

śīrṇa-pravara-yodhādya hata-vāji-ratha-dvipā

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—இப்போது தலைசிறந்த வீரர்கள் சிதைந்தனர்; குதிரைகள், தேர்கள், யானைகள் கொல்லப்பட்டன—போர்க்களம் உடைந்தும் சோர்ந்தும் நின்றது।

Word by Word

• शीर्णप्रवरयोधाद्यः: whose foremost warriors are shattered (i.e., with broken/ruined chief fighters)
• शीर्णप्रवरयोधाद्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शीर्ण-प्रवर-योध-आद्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हतवाजिरथद्विपः: whose horses, chariots, and elephants are slain
• हतवाजिरथद्विपः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत-वाजि-रथ-द्विप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• warriors (yodhāḥ)
• horses (vājinaḥ)
• chariots (rathāḥ)
• elephants (dvipāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark impermanence of martial glory: even the ‘foremost’ are reduced to ruin, highlighting the ethical gravity and human cost that accompany kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports the condition of the battlefield: elite fighters have been broken, and the main instruments of war—horses, chariots, and elephants—have been killed, signaling severe attrition and collapse of fighting strength.