Shloka 48

Devanagari script

विश: शूद्राश्न सूताश्व ये च संकरजातय: । सर्वशस्ते महाराज राधेयमभजंस्तदा

Transliteration

viśaḥ śūdrāś ca sūtāś ca ye ca saṅkarajātayaḥ | sarvaśas te mahārāja rādheyam abhajaṃs tadā ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：“大王啊，吠舍、首陀罗、苏多以及杂生诸族——在那时无不以种种方式归附罗陀耶（迦尔那）。”此偈强调：在战争引发的道德与社会动荡中，广大人群趋向迦尔那，显示名望、庇护与所见之势的牵引，往往胜过单凭世袭身份的约束。

Word by Word

• वैश्याः: Vaiśyas
• वैश्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शूद्राः: Śūdras
• शूद्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सूताः: Sūtas (charioteer-class people)
• सूताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• संकरजातयः: mixed castes/communities
• संकरजातयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकरजाति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वशः: in every way; wholly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

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

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राधेयम्: Rādheya (Karna)
• राधेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अभजन्: they resorted to / chose / took to
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Rādheya (Karna)
• Vaiśyas
• Śūdras
• Sūtas
• Saṅkarajātayaḥ (mixed lineages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how social groups may rally behind a leader in wartime based on perceived protection, generosity, or power, showing that allegiance can be shaped by practical and ethical pressures rather than by idealized social norms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that various communities—Vaiśyas, Śūdras, Sūtas, and mixed-lineage groups—were, at that moment in the war’s unfolding, siding with Karna (Rādheya).