Shloka 21
Devanagari script
तत्र चक्रैविमथितैर्भग्नैश्न परमायुधै:
Transliteration
tatra cakrair vimathitair bhagnaiś ca paramāyudhaiḥ
Translation
Sañjaya nói: Ở đó, chiến địa bị bánh xe chiến xa cày xới, nghiền nát; đến cả những vũ khí tinh hảo nhất cũng vỡ vụn nằm la liệt—một bức tranh về sức tàn phá không ngừng của chiến tranh, nơi niềm kiêu hãnh nơi binh khí sụp đổ trước đà hủy diệt.
Word by Word
तत्रthere
तत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र
Formindeclinable (locative adverb: 'there')
चक्रैःwith/by discs (wheels)
चक्रैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootचक्र
Formneuter, instrumental, plural
विमथितैःcrushed/churned/ground down
विमथितैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootवि-मथ्
Formneuter, instrumental, plural (past passive participle; agreeing with चक्रैः)
भग्नैःbroken
भग्नैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootभञ्ज्
Formneuter, instrumental, plural (past passive participle; agreeing with चक्रैः)
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
Formindeclinable (negation)
परमsupreme, excellent
परम:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootपरम
Formneuter, instrumental, plural (agreeing with आयुधैः; often in compound with it)
आयुधैःwith weapons
आयुधैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootआयुध
Formneuter, instrumental, plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
C
cakra (chariot wheels)Ā
āyudha (weapons)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
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power: even ‘supreme weapons’ are broken amid the churn of battle, suggesting that reliance on force and armaments is unstable and ethically sobering.
Sañjaya describes the scene of combat: chariot wheels grind through the field, and weapons are smashed—conveying the intensity and chaos of the fighting in the Droṇa Parva.