Shloka 38

Devanagari script

अश्वपृष्लेषु चाप्यन्ये रथनीडेषु चापरे । गजस्कन्धगताश्षान्ये शेरते चापरे क्षितौ,कुछ लोग घोड़ोंकी पीठोंपर, दूसरे रथोंकी बैठकोंमें, कुछ अन्य योद्धा हाथियोंपर तथा दूसरे बहुत-से सैनिक पृथ्वीपर ही सो रहे। कुछ लोग सभी प्रकारके आयुध लिये हुए थे। किन्हींके हाथोंमें गदाएँ थीं। कुछ लोग तलवार और फरसे लिये हुए थे तथा दूसरे बहुत-से मनुष्य प्रास और कवचसे सुशोभित थे। वे सभी अलग-अलग सो रहे थे

Transliteration

aśvapṛṣṭheṣu cāpy anye rathanīḍeṣu cāpare | gajaskandhagatāś cānye śerate cāpare kṣitau ||

Translation

قال سنجيا: إنّ بعضهم نام على ظهور الخيل، وبعضهم على مقاعد العربات الحربية؛ وبعضهم استراح على أكتاف الفيلة، بينما نام كثيرون مباشرةً على الأرض. وهكذا، وسط عُدّة الحرب ودوابّها الحيّة، غرق المحاربون—كلٌّ في موضعه—في النوم؛ وقفةٌ بشريةٌ خاطفة تحت الضغط الأخلاقي الذي لا يلين للقتال.

Word by Word

अश्वपृष्ठेषुon the backs of horses

चand

अपिalso

अन्येothers

रथनीडेषुin the chariot-seats (chariot-nests)

चand

अपरेothers (different ones)

गजस्कन्धगताःmounted on elephant-backs/shoulders

अन्येothers

शेरतेlie down, sleep

चand

अपरेothers

क्षितौon the ground

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

horses (aśva)

chariots (ratha)

elephants (gaja)

earth/ground (kṣiti)

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?

Even in the midst of violent conflict, human beings remain subject to bodily limits—fatigue, fear, and the need for rest. The verse quietly underscores the fragility of life in war and the moral weight of a battlefield where ordinary human needs persist amid extraordinary destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the army at rest: some soldiers sleep mounted on horses, some in chariots, some on elephants, and many on the bare ground. It is a descriptive pause in the war narrative, depicting how the forces are scattered and exhausted between engagements.