Shloka 2

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility

Book 6, Chapter 61

Devanagari script

शरैरतिरथो युद्धे दारयन्‌ रथयूथपान्‌ | ते वध्यमाना: पार्थेन कालेनेव युगक्षये

Transliteration

śarair atiratho yuddhe dārayan rathayūthapān | te vadhyamānāḥ pārthena kāleneva yugakṣaye ||

Translation

Sañjaya thưa: “Trong trận chiến, vị đại chiến xa ấy dùng mũi tên xé toạc các thủ lĩnh của những đội chiến xa. Những chiến binh ấy, bị Pārtha (Arjuna) chém giết, ngã xuống như thể Thời Gian (Kāla) vào lúc tận kiếp đã đến để hủy diệt họ.” Câu kệ cho thấy uy lực của Arjuna không chỉ là sức mạnh cá nhân, mà còn như sự vận hành không thể cưỡng của định mệnh giữa thảm họa đạo lý của chiến tranh.

Word by Word

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अतिरथः: the great chariot-warrior
• अतिरथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिरथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• दारयन्: tearing/piercing
• दारयन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दॄ (दारयति)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथयूथपान्: leaders of chariot-troops
• रथयूथपान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथयूथप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वध्यमानाः: being slain
• वध्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध्
• Form: शानच् (present passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पार्थेन: by Partha (Arjuna)
• पार्थेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• कालेन: by Time
• कालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: as/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• युगक्षये: at the end of an age (yuga)
• युगक्षये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युगक्षय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• atiratha (elite chariot-warrior)
• rathayūthapa (chariot-troop leaders)
• kāla (Time, personified)
• yugakṣaya (end of an age)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, individual agency (Arjuna’s skill) appears inseparable from the larger force of Kāla (Time/destiny). It suggests that mass destruction on the battlefield can resemble cosmic dissolution, reminding the listener that violence, once unleashed, becomes an impersonal, unstoppable process.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Arjuna (Pārtha) in the thick of battle, using volleys of arrows to break the ranks and kill the commanders of chariot-units. The slaughter is compared to Time’s devastation at the end of a world-age, emphasizing the scale and inevitability of the rout.