Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ महाभये घोरे तुमुले लोमहर्षणे । ववृषु: शरवर्षाणि क्षत्रिया युद्धदुर्मदा:,उस महान्‌ भयदायक, घोर, रोमांचकारी एवं तुमुल संग्राममें रणदुर्मद क्षत्रिय बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे

Transliteration

tasmin mahābhaye ghore tumule lomaharṣaṇe | vavṛṣuḥ śaravarṣāṇi kṣatriyā yuddhadurmadāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: In that dreadful, overwhelming, hair-raising terror of battle, the kṣatriya warriors—intoxicated with the frenzy of war—poured down showers of arrows.

Word by Word

तस्मिन्in that

महाभयेin the great fear/terror

घोरेterrible

तुमुलेtumultuous

लोमहर्षणेhair-raising

ववृषुःthey rained/poured

शरवर्षाणिshowers of arrows

क्षत्रियाःthe Kshatriyas/warriors

युद्धदुर्मदाःmaddened by battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

kṣatriyas

arrows (śara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a moral danger within warfare: when warriors become 'yuddha-durmadāḥ' (battle-intoxicated), fear and pride can amplify cruelty. Even in a dharma-context, inner restraint and clarity are ethically crucial; otherwise, the battlefield becomes driven by frenzy rather than duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the Kurukṣetra fighting at a moment of extreme terror and tumult. The kṣatriya combatants respond by unleashing intense volleys—'showers of arrows'—as the battle escalates in noise, fear, and ferocity.