Shloka 35
Adhyāya 92: Irāvanta-śoka, punaḥ-pravṛttiḥ saṅgrāmasya
Arjuna’s grief and the battle’s renewed intensity
अर्जुनेन हतै: संख्ये तथा भारत राजभि: । प्रबभौ वसुधा घोरा तत्र तत्र विशाम्पते,भारत! प्रजानाथ! जहाँ-तहाँ अर्जुनके द्वारा युद्धमें मारे गये राजाओंसे भरी हुई वह रणभूमि बड़ी भयानक जान पड़ती थी
sañjaya uvāca | arjunena hataiḥ saṅkhye tathā bhārata rājabhiḥ | prababhau vasudhā ghorā tatra tatra viśāmpate bhārata prajānātha ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Bhārata, Herr des Volkes, Gebieter der Menschen — hier und dort über das ganze Schlachtfeld hinweg erschien die Erde schrecklich, übersät mit Königen, die im Gedränge des Krieges von Arjuna und anderen königlichen Streitern erschlagen worden waren. Das Bild verkündete den furchtbaren Preis kṣatriyischer Fehde, in der Ruhm und Pflicht inmitten weitreichender Verwüstung gesucht werden.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical reality of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, the battlefield becomes a dreadful witness to mass death. It implicitly challenges the listener—especially a king responsible for his people—to confront the human cost behind claims of honor and victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield looked terrifying, covered in many places with kings slain—especially by Arjuna, along with other royal fighters—emphasizing the scale of carnage during the Kurukṣetra war.