Shloka 17

Adhyāya 140: Rātriyuddhe Droṇa-prāpti-prayatnaḥ

Night engagement and the attempt to reach Droṇa

Devanagari script

सानुकर्षपताकैश्र द्विपाश्वरथभूषणै: । स्यन्दनैरपविद्धैश्व भग्नचक्राक्षकूबरै:

Transliteration

sānukarṣapatākaiś ca dvipāśvarathabhūṣaṇaiḥ | syandanair apaviddhaiś ca bhagnacakrākṣakūbaraiḥ ||

Translation

అక్కడ అనేక రథాలు పడివున్నాయి—కొన్నిటికి ధ్వజాలు, యుగచిహ్నాలు మిగిలి ఉన్నాయి; కొన్నిటికి ద్విపాశ్వ రథభూషణాలు ఉన్నాయి; కానీ అవన్నీ విసర్జింపబడి, చక్రాలు, అక్షాలు, కూబరాలు విరిగిపోయాయి.

Word by Word

सानुकर्षपताकैःwith banners/flags dragged along (trailing)

द्विपाश्वरथभूषणैःwith ornaments on both sides of the chariot

स्यन्दनैःwith chariots

अपविद्धैःcast off / thrown away / abandoned

चand

भग्नचक्राक्षकूबरैःwith broken wheels, axles, and poles (chariot-parts)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

syandana (war-chariot)

patākā (banner/flag)

cakra (wheel)

akṣa (axle)

kūbara (chariot-pole/drawbar)

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 fragility of worldly power and martial splendor: even richly equipped chariots with banners and fittings are quickly reduced to wreckage. It implicitly cautions against pride in force and highlights the inevitable ruin that accompanies violent conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene: numerous war-chariots have been abandoned and lie damaged, their structural parts—wheels, axles, and poles—broken, indicating intense fighting and widespread destruction.