Mahabharata 7.97.25 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 97, Shloka 25

शैनेयचरितम्

The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement

Devanagari script

कुनृपस्य यथा राष्ट्र दुर्भिक्षव्याधितस्करै: । द्राव्यते तद्गधदापन्ना पाण्डवैस्तव वाहिनी

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

kunṛpasya yathā rāṣṭraṃ durbhikṣa-vyādhi-taskaraiḥ |

drāvyate tadgadā-āpannā pāṇḍavaiḥ tava vāhinī ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—“ดุจอาณาจักรของกษัตริย์อธรรมที่ถูกทำลายจนร้าง ด้วยทุพภิกขภัย โรคาพาธ และหมู่โจรผู้ร้าย ฉันใด กองทัพของท่านซึ่งตกอยู่ในเคราะห์ร้าย ก็ถูกเหล่าปาณฑพขับไล่ให้แตกกระจายไปทุกทิศฉันนั้น”

Word by Word

• कुनृपस्य: of a wicked king
• कुनृपस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुनृप
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• राष्ट्रम्: kingdom
• राष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दुर्भिक्ष: by famine
• दुर्भिक्ष: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्भिक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• व्याधित: by disease/affliction
• व्याधित: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याधित
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तस्करैः: by thieves/robbers
• तस्करैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तस्कर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• द्राव्यते: is driven away / is made to flee
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु (द्रावयति)
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Singular

• तत्: so/that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• गदापन्ना: having fallen into calamity/misfortune
• गदापन्ना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदापन्न
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पाण्डवैः: by the Pandavas
• पाण्डवैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तव: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• वाहिनी: army
• वाहिनी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाहिनी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• Kaurava army (tava vāhinī)
• kingdom (rāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a political-ethical simile: misrule (a ‘wicked king’) invites systemic collapse—famine, disease, lawlessness—just as poor leadership and moral disorder in war lead to an army’s breakdown. It implies that adharma in governance and conduct produces collective suffering and disintegration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava forces are in distress and are being driven and scattered by the Pāṇḍava warriors, likening their disarray to a kingdom devastated by famine, epidemics, and robbers.