Shloka 50

Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

उभयो: सेनयोर्मथ्ये नराश्रृद्धिपवाहिनी

Transliteration

ubhayor senayor madhye narāśṛddhipravāhinī

Translation

Sañjaya said: Between the two armies there surged a human torrent—an ever-swelling stream of warriors—pressing forward in the midst of battle.

Word by Word

• उभयोः: of both
• उभयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Dual

• सेनयोः: of the two armies
• सेनयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नराश्रृद्धिपवाहिनी: a (f.) stream/flow that carries the increase of men (i.e., swelling with men)
• नराश्रृद्धिपवाहिनी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नराश्रृद्धिपवाहिनी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• the two armies (Pāṇḍava and Kaurava forces)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the overwhelming momentum of war: once masses of armed men surge together, individual restraint and ethical clarity are easily submerged, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning about the destructive force of collective violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the scene on the battlefield: between the opposing forces a dense, swelling rush of warriors forms—like a stream in flood—signaling intense close-quarters engagement between the two sides.