Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 2

धर्मरहस्योपदेशः

Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury

Devanagari script

योधांश्व॒ स्वबलं चैव समन्ताद्‌ भरतर्षभ | क्रोशतस्तव पुत्रस्य न सम राजन्‌ न्यवर्तत

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

yodhāṃś ca svabalaṃ caiva samantād bharatarṣabha |

krośatas tava putrasya na samā rājan nyavartata ||

Translation

โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐแห่งภารตะ บุตรของพระองค์ตะโกนก้องจากทุกทิศเพื่อห้ามทั้งนักรบและกองทัพของตน; แต่ข้าแต่พระราชา กองทหารที่กำลังแตกหนีก็มิได้หันกลับมาตั้งขบวนตามเสียงบัญชานั้น

Word by Word

• योधान्: warriors
• योधान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• स्वबलम्: his own army
• स्वबलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वबल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• समन्तात्: from all sides
• समन्तात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्त

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• क्रोशतः: while shouting/though (he was) shouting
• क्रोशतः: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रुश्

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• पुत्रस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• समम्: equally/at all (as expected)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• न्यवर्तत: turned back/returned
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• संजय: Sanjaya
• संजय: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संजय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Lit), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied by addresses: bharatarṣabha, rājan)
• Duryodhana (tava putra)
• Pandavas
• Kaurava army (svabala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When an army (or any community) loses inner steadiness, mere shouting orders cannot restore discipline. Ethical decline and fear can dissolve cohesion, revealing that authority without trust and morale is ineffective.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that as the Pandavas attack, Duryodhana tries to restrain the warriors and stabilize his forces from all sides; however, despite his loud cries, the troops in flight do not turn back.