Mahabharata 7.140.17 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 140, 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

ที่นั่นมีรถศึกมากมายทอดทิ้งอยู่—บางคันยังมีธงและร่องรอยแอก บางคันประดับเครื่องคุ้มกันด้านข้างและเครื่องประกอบรถศึก; แต่ล้วนถูกละทิ้ง โดยล้อ เพลา และคานรถหักพัง

Word by Word

• सानुकर्षपताकैः: with banners/flags dragged along (trailing)
• सानुकर्षपताकैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सानुकर्ष-ध्वज (पताका)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• द्विपाश्वरथभूषणैः: with ornaments on both sides of the chariot
• द्विपाश्वरथभूषणैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि-पार्श्व-रथ-भूषण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• स्यन्दनैः: with chariots
• स्यन्दनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्यन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अपविद्धैः: cast off / thrown away / abandoned
• अपविद्धैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप-वि-ध् (अपविद्ध)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भग्नचक्राक्षकूबरैः: with broken wheels, axles, and poles (chariot-parts)
• भग्नचक्राक्षकूबरैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न-चक्र-अक्ष-कूबर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• syandana (war-chariot)
• patākā (banner/flag)
• cakra (wheel)
• akṣa (axle)
• kūbara (chariot-pole/drawbar)

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.