Shloka 516

Devanagari script

हतसर्वस्ववीरा हि भीष्मद्रोणौ यदा हतौ । “कुन्तीनन्दन! जब भीष्म और द्रोणाचार्य युद्धमें मार डाले गये, तभीसे मानो दुर्योधनकी इस भयंकर सेनाके सारे वीर मारे गये--इसका सर्वस्व नष्ट हो गया

Transliteration

hata-sarvasva-vīrā hi bhīṣma-droṇau yadā hataū |

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “โอ้โอรสแห่งกุนตี! ครั้นภีษมะและโทรณะถูกสังหารในศึก กองทัพอันน่าสะพรึงของทุรโยธนะก็ดุจสูญสิ้นแก่นสารทั้งปวง วีรชนเอกพินาศไป และพร้อมกันนั้นกำลังใจและพลังค้ำจุนของกองทัพก็ร่วงโรยลง”

Word by Word

हतसर्वस्ववीराःthose whose all-wealth/strength (i.e., all warriors) is slain; utterly ruined in warriors

हिindeed/for

भीष्मद्रोणौBhishma and Drona

यदाwhen

हतौslain

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

Droṇa

Duryodhana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the fall of foundational leaders can break an entire system: when the pillars (Bhīṣma and Droṇa) are removed, collective morale and strategic stability collapse. Ethically, it underscores the grave consequences of adharma-driven persistence in war—power without righteous grounding becomes fragile.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Bhīṣma and Droṇa were killed, Duryodhana’s army effectively became bereft of its essential strength. The statement frames subsequent events in Karṇa Parva as occurring in an already weakened Kaurava camp.