Shloka 15

Devanagari script

क्षताश्व बहुभि: शस्त्रैर्युद्धशौण्डैरनेकश: । मण्डलानि विचित्राणि विचेरुस्ते मुहुर्मुहु:

Transliteration

kṣatāśvā bahubhiḥ śastrair yuddhaśauṇḍair anekaśaḥ | maṇḍalāni vicitrāṇi vicerus te muhur muhuḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Their horses, wounded by many weapons in countless ways by warriors eager for battle, kept wheeling again and again in varied circles.

Word by Word

क्षताश्वाःwhose horses are wounded

बहुभिःwith many

शस्त्रैःweapons

युद्धशौण्डैःby battle-experts

अनेकशःin many ways / repeatedly

मण्डलानिcircles / formations

विचित्राणिvariegated, diverse

विचेरुःthey moved about / ranged

तेthey

मुहुःagain and again

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

horses

weapons

battle-fierce warriors

circular battle formations (maṇḍalas)

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 underscores the grim momentum of war: tactical prowess and battle-zeal can keep the fight turning in complex patterns, yet the repeated circling is driven by injury and pressure—hinting at the ethical cost and suffering that accompany martial glory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield movement: warriors, striking with many weapons, wound the horses, and the combatants (with their chariots/units) keep wheeling repeatedly in intricate circular maneuvers, suggesting intense, close, and constantly shifting engagements.