Shloka 73

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

दुर्मर्षणं हतं दृष्टवा वृषसेनं च संयुगे

Transliteration

durmarṣaṇaṁ hataṁ dṛṣṭvā vṛṣasenaṁ ca saṁyuge | vidrutān rathino dṛṣṭvā manye śocati putrakaḥ ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “Nang makita kong napatay si Durmarṣaṇa at bumagsak si Vṛṣasena sa labanan, at makita ang mga mandirigmang nakasakay sa karwahe na nagkakagulo sa pagtakbo, iniisip kong ang aking anak ay nagdadalamhati. Ang pag-urong ng mga haring kakampi at ang pagtalikod ng mga mandirigma ay tanda ng pagguho ng loob; ang gayong tanawin, bunga ng mabagsik na halaga ng digmaan, ay tiyak na sasaksak sa puso ng isang ama.”

Word by Word

• {'durmarṣaṇam': 'Durmarṣaṇa (a Kaurava prince), accusative singular', 'hatam': 'slain, killed', 'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'vṛṣasenam': 'Vṛṣasena (son of Karṇa), accusative singular', 'ca': 'and', 'saṁyuge': 'in battle, in the conflict', 'vidrutān': 'fleeing, routed, in flight', 'rathinaḥ (rathino)': 'chariot-warriors

• fighters mounted on chariots', 'manye': 'I think, I suppose', 'śocati': 'grieves, laments', 'putrakaḥ': 'my son (affectionate/diminutive usage)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Durmarṣaṇa
• Vṛṣasena
• rathins (chariot-warriors)
• saṁyuga (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the human cost of war: even for those committed to kṣatriya duty, the sight of comrades slain and allies fleeing brings grief and moral weight. It underscores how battlefield outcomes affect not only strategy but also the inner world of those bound by loyalty and kinship.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Durmarṣaṇa and Vṛṣasena are seen slain and the chariot-warriors are observed fleeing, the speaker infers that his son is lamenting. The scene depicts a breakdown of the Kaurava side’s cohesion—rout and retreat—prompting sorrow and foreboding.