Shloka 78

Devanagari script

विरथं रथिनां श्रेष्ठ श्वेतं दृष्टया पितामह:

Transliteration

virathaṃ rathināṃ śreṣṭha śvetaṃ dṛṣṭvā pitāmahaḥ

Translation

三阇耶说道：见湿吠多已成无车之人，祖父毗湿摩便注目于这位车战勇士中的翘楚。

Word by Word

• विरथम्: without a chariot; chariotless
• विरथम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• रथिनाम्: of the chariot-warriors
• रथिनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठम्: the best
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्वेतम्: white (named Śveta)
• श्वेतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• पितामहः: the grandsire (Bhīṣma)
• पितामहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)
• Śveta
• chariot (ratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the instability of battlefield fortune: status and equipment can vanish in an instant. It also points to the ethical weight borne by elders like Bhīṣma, who must respond to such reversals with both strategic clarity and adherence to kṣatriya-dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma notices Śveta in a chariotless state. This observation signals a critical shift in the immediate combat situation—either Śveta has been unseated or his chariot disabled—prompting attention from the leading commander.