Shloka 176

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

Devanagari script

अगम्यरूपा पृथिवी मांसशोणितकर्दमा | प्रजानाथ! कुपित हुए अर्जुनके रथके मार्गकी भूमिपर मांस और रक्तकी कीच जम जानेके कारण वहाँ चलना-फिरना असम्भव हो गया

Transliteration

agamyārūpā pṛthivī māṃsaśoṇitakardamā | prajānātha! kupite 'rjunasya rathasya mārgabhūmau māṃsa-rakta-kīcakaṃ saṃjajñe, tena tatra gamanāgamanam asambhavam abhavat |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O Herr der Menschen, die Erde wurde ungangbar — sie verwandelte sich in Morast aus Fleisch und Blut. Als Arjunas Wagen in Zorn voranstürmte, war der Boden entlang seiner Spur so sehr von dem Schlamm aus Fleisch und Blut verstopft, dass jede Bewegung dort unmöglich wurde.

Word by Word

• अगम्यरूपा: of impassable form; impossible to traverse
• अगम्यरूपा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अगम्यरूप (अगम्य + रूप)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पृथिवी: the earth/ground
• पृथिवी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मांसशोणितकर्दमा: having mire of flesh and blood; flesh-and-blood-muddy
• मांसशोणितकर्दमा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मांसशोणितकर्दम (मांस + शोणित + कर्दम)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Arjuna
• Dhritarashtra
• Arjuna's chariot
• Earth/ground (pṛthivī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: violence does not merely defeat opponents—it desecrates the world itself, turning the very ground into a symbol of collective suffering and moral pollution.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the battlefield ground along Arjuna’s chariot-route has become so thick with flesh-and-blood mire that it is impossible to move there, emphasizing the horrific intensity of the fighting.