Shloka 4

अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्

Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement

Devanagari script

महीं गता: पार्थबलाभि भूता विचित्ररूपा युगपद्‌ विनेशु: । दृष्टवा हतांस्तात्‌ युधि राजपुत्रां- स्त्रिगर्तराज: प्रययौ रथेन,पार्थंके बलसे अभिभूत होकर वे विचित्ररूपधारी राजकुमार एक साथ ही पृथ्वीपर गिरकर नष्ट हो गये। उन राजपुत्रोंको युद्धमें मारा गया देख त्रिगर्तराज सुशर्माने रथके द्वारा अर्जुनपर आक्रमण किया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

mahīṃ gatāḥ pārthabalābhibhūtā vicitrarūpā yugapad vineśuḥ |

dṛṣṭvā hatāṃs tāta yudhi rājaputrāṃs trigartarājaḥ prayayau rathena ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Overpowered by Arjuna’s forces, those princes of varied appearance fell to the earth all at once and perished. Seeing the royal sons slain in battle, the Trigarta king Suśarmā advanced in his chariot to assail Arjuna—an escalation driven by kṣatriya pride and the relentless momentum of war, where grief and vengeance quickly harden into renewed violence.

Word by Word

• {'mahīm gatāḥ': 'having gone to the earth

• fallen to the ground', 'pārtha-bala-abhibhūtāḥ': 'overpowered by the strength/forces of Pārtha (Arjuna)', 'vicitra-rūpāḥ': 'of diverse/variegated forms or appearances', 'yugapat': 'simultaneously, all at once', 'vineśuḥ': 'they perished

• were destroyed', 'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'hatān': 'slain, killed', 'yudhi': 'in battle', 'rāja-putrān': 'princes

• sons of kings', 'trigarta-rājaḥ': 'the king of Trigarta', 'prayayau': 'advanced, went forth, set out', 'rathena': 'with/in a chariot', 'Pārtha (Arjuna)': 'son of Pṛthā (Kuntī)

• the archer Arjuna', 'Suśarmā': 'name of the Trigarta king, an ally of the Kauravas'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Trigarta
• Suśarmā
• rājaputrāḥ (princes)
• ratha (chariot)
• mahī (earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, attachment to status and kinship can rapidly turn grief into retaliatory aggression. It implicitly warns that kṣatriya valor, when driven by pride and vengeance, perpetuates a cycle of violence—an ethical tension central to the Mahābhārata’s reflection on dharma in battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Arjuna’s side overwhelms and kills a group of princes, they fall together on the battlefield. Seeing them slain, the Trigarta king Suśarmā immediately advances in his chariot to attack Arjuna, intensifying the confrontation.