Shloka 66

Devanagari script

रथाग्न्यगारशक्षापार्चिरसिशक्तिगदेन्धन: । शरसंघमहाज्वाल: क्षत्रियान्‌ समरेडदहत्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

rathāgnyagāraśaṣkāpārcirasiśaktigadendhanaḥ |

śarasaṅghamahājvālaḥ kṣatriyān samare ’dahat ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: In that battle, it was as though a blazing fire consumed the kṣatriyas. Chariots seemed like fire-halls; bows looked like tongues of flame; swords, spears, and maces served as fuel; and the mass of arrows rose up as the great blaze itself—an image of war’s consuming force, where martial prowess turns into a destructive conflagration that tests the very limits of kṣatriya-dharma.

Word by Word

• रथ: chariot
• रथ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अग्नि: fire
• अग्नि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अगार: house, chamber
• अगार: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगार
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शर: arrow
• शर: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्ष: syllable/phoneme 'kṣa' (likely corrupt segmentation)
• क्ष: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपार्चिरसि: unclear (text appears corrupt)
• अपार्चिरसि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपार्चिरसि
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शक्ति: spear, javelin
• शक्ति: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गदा: mace
• गदा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• इन्धनः: fuel
• इन्धनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्धन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शर: arrow
• शर: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• संघ: multitude, mass
• संघ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संघ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाज्वालः: great flame
• महाज्वालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाज्वाला
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षत्रियान्: Kshatriyas, warriors
• क्षत्रियान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• ददहत्: burned, scorched
• ददहत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• kṣatriyas
• chariot (ratha)
• bow (implied by flame-tongue imagery)
• sword (asi)
• spear (śakti)
• mace (gadā)
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how warfare, even when framed within kṣatriya-duty, becomes a consuming force like fire—highlighting the ethical tension between prescribed martial duty and the catastrophic suffering it unleashes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield with an extended fire-metaphor: chariots appear as fire-halls, weapons as fuel, and volleys of arrows as towering flames, conveying the intensity and lethal momentum of the combat.