Shloka 13

Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge

Devanagari script

एवमेतानि स रथे वहज्छवेतहयो रणे

Transliteration

evametāni sa rathe vahañ śvetahayō raṇe

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—இவ்வாறு அந்த எல்லா ஆயுதங்களும் தயாரிப்புகளும் உடன் கொண்டு, வெள்ளைக் குதிரைகள் இழுக்கும் தேரில் ஏறி அவர் போர்க்களத்திற்குள் நுழைந்தார்.

Word by Word

एवम्thus

एतानिthese (things)

सःhe

रथेin/on the chariot

वहन्carrying/driving

श्वेतहयःone having white horses / (the chariot) with white horses

रणेin battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

chariot (ratha)

white horses (śvetahayāḥ)

battle (raṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores preparedness and purposeful action: entering battle is not mere aggression but a deliberate step taken after assembling means and resolve, framed within the larger Mahābhārata concern for dharma and rightful conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues his report, describing a warrior proceeding in a chariot drawn by white horses, carrying the previously mentioned equipment or arrangements, and moving into the battlefield.