Shloka 16

Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ

After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana

Devanagari script

सत्वरं च रणे राजंस्तस्य वाहान्‌ महात्मन: । निजघान शरै:ः क्षिप्रं सूतं च सुमहाबल:

Transliteration

sa-tvaraṁ ca raṇe rājan tasya vāhān mahātmanaḥ | nijaghāna śaraiḥ kṣipraṁ sūtaṁ ca sumahābalaḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：“大王啊，在激战之中，那位力大无比的勇士迅疾以箭射杀了那位高魂英雄的战马，也很快诛杀了他的御者。”

Word by Word

• सत्वरम्: quickly, hastily
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: अव्यय

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• वाहान्: mounts/steeds (horses)
• वाहान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• निजघान: struck down, killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• क्षिप्रम्: swiftly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय

• सूतम्: the charioteer
• सूतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: अव्यय

• सुमहाबलः: the very mighty one
• सुमहाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहाबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressed as rājan)
• mahātmā (unnamed hero in this pāda-context)
• sumahābalaḥ (unnamed warrior in this pāda-context)
• vāhāḥ (chariot-horses)
• sūta (charioteer)
• raṇa (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a pragmatic aspect of kṣatriya-dharma in war: victory often depends on disabling an opponent’s mobility and support system (horses and charioteer), showing how quickly fortune shifts when the instruments of power are cut down.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that a very powerful fighter rapidly kills the horses of a noble warrior’s chariot and then kills the charioteer, effectively neutralizing that chariot in the midst of combat.