Shloka 29

अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च

Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents

Devanagari script

ध्वजानां छिद्यमानानां कार्मुकाणां च मारिष | रथानां सपताकानां तूणीराणां युगैः सह

Transliteration

dhvajānāṃ chidyamānānāṃ kārmukāṇāṃ ca māriṣa | rathānāṃ sapatākānāṃ tūṇīrāṇāṃ yugaiḥ saha

Translation

Sañjaya nói: “Hỡi bậc đáng kính, cờ hiệu bị chém đứt, cung bị bẻ gãy, và những chiến xa—vẫn còn mang kỳ xí—cũng bị đập tan; cả ống tên và ách xe cùng với đội kéo cũng bị hủy diệt.”

Word by Word

ध्वजानाम्of banners/flags

छिद्यमानानाम्being cut

कार्मुकाणाम्of bows

चand

मारिषO noble one / O sir

रथानाम्of chariots

सपताकानाम्having banners (bannered)

तूणीराणाम्of quivers

युगैःwith yokes / by yokes

सहtogether with

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

dhvaja (banner/standard)

kārmuka (bow)

ratha (chariot)

patākā (flag/pennon)

tūṇīra (quiver)

yuga (yoke/chariot-yoke)

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 underscores the stark impermanence of martial power and equipment: banners, bows, chariots, and even supporting gear are swiftly destroyed in war. It implicitly frames the battlefield as a realm where pride in external might collapses, reminding the listener that outcomes hinge on fate, skill, and the relentless nature of conflict rather than mere display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the intensity of the fighting in the Karṇa Parva. He describes the battlefield scene where standards are severed, bows are broken, and chariots with their flags, quivers, and yokes are being smashed—conveying the scale and ferocity of the ongoing combat.