Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 51
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
अश्वान् राजन मनुष्यांश्न॒ रजसा संवृते सति । भूमौ निपतिताश्चान्ये वमनन््तो रुधिरं बहु
aśvān rājan manuṣyāṃś ca rajasā saṃvṛte sati | bhūmau nipatitāś cānye vamananto rudhiraṃ bahu ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, when the battlefield was shrouded in dust, we saw many horses and men fleeing in the darkness. Others had fallen upon the earth, vomiting copious blood.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal, dehumanizing reality of war: confusion, panic, and bodily devastation. Ethically, it functions as a stark reminder of the cost of adharma-driven conflict and the suffering that follows from collective choices made by rulers and warriors.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become obscured by dust, creating darkness and disorientation. In that chaos, many horses and men are seen fleeing, while others lie fallen on the ground, vomiting large amounts of blood.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.