Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तस्मिंस्तु निहते चक्रे सूतजेन महात्मना

Transliteration

tasmiṁstu nihate cakre sūtajena mahātmanā

Translation

సంజయుడు పలికెను—మహాత్ముడైన సూతపుత్రుడు ఆ చక్రాన్ని కూల్చివేసిన వెంటనే యుద్ధగతి మారిపోయింది—యుద్ధంలో ఒక నిర్ణాయక చర్య ఎలా మహాబలాన్నికూడా కదిలించి, శక్తి తన సాధనాలపై ఎంత సున్నితంగా ఆధారపడివుంటుందో వెల్లడిస్తుంది.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (situation/time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• निहते: when (it was) slain/struck down
• निहते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb-derived Adjective (Past Passive Participle)
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• चक्रे: in the wheel/discus
• चक्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सूतजेन: by the charioteer’s son (Karna)
• सूतजेन: Karana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सूतज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Karana
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• cakra (wheel)
• sūtaja (son of a charioteer)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the contingency of worldly power: even a formidable warrior’s momentum can hinge on a single material support (a wheel). Ethically, it points to how outcomes in war often depend on tactical moments rather than pure merit, urging reflection on dharma amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a wheel has been struck down/destroyed in battle by a great warrior described as the 'son of a charioteer' (commonly an epithet associated with Karṇa). This signals a critical turn in the combat sequence being narrated.