Shloka 4

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

Devanagari script

अर्जुन रथवंशेन द्रोणपुत्रपुरोगमा:

Transliteration

arjuna rathavaṁśena droṇaputrapurogamāḥ

Translation

三阇耶说道：阿周那的车阵向前推进，而德罗那之子居其前锋——这表明战局的势头由领军的豪杰与其随从所驱动，武勇与号令共同塑造着当日展开的杀伐及其道义代价。

Word by Word

• अर्जुन: Arjuna
• अर्जुन: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथवंशेन: by/with the line (succession) of chariots
• रथवंशेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथवंश
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• द्रोणपुत्रपुरोगमाः: having Drona's son (Ashvatthaman) in front; led by Drona's son
• द्रोणपुत्रपुरोगमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरोगम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son)
• chariot-line/formation (rathavaṁśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how warfare is shaped by organized formations and decisive leadership; ethically, it points to the weight of responsibility borne by commanders and foremost warriors whose choices intensify or restrain destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a battlefield movement: a chariot-column associated with Arjuna is described, and Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāman is noted as being at the front, indicating the advance or prominence of that leading fighter within the action.