Shloka 226

Devanagari script

गतसत्त्वा व्यदृश्यन्त तथैव सह सादिभि: | कितने ही घोड़े और घुड़सवार मरे हुए पर्वताकार हाथियोंसे सटकर प्राणशून्य दिखायी देते थे

Transliteration

gatasattvā vyadṛśyanta tathaiva saha sādibhiḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Many were seen lying lifeless—bereft of strength and consciousness—along with their mounts and gear. Horses and horsemen, pressed close against the mountain-like bodies of fallen elephants, appeared utterly drained of life, revealing the war’s crushing, indiscriminate devastation.

Word by Word

• गतसत्त्वाः: devoid of life, lifeless
• गतसत्त्वाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गतसत्त्व (gata-sattva)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• व्यदृश्यन्त: were seen/appeared
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

• सादिभिः: with riders/horsemen (mounted men)
• सादिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सादि (sādi)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horses
• horsemen
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark cost of war: life and strength vanish alike for many, regardless of side. It implicitly invites reflection on dharma in warfare—how even ‘righteous’ battle brings widespread suffering and the fragility of embodied life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene: numerous horses and riders lie dead, crushed or pinned near the huge bodies of fallen elephants, with mounts and equipment scattered—an image of overwhelming carnage in the Drona Parva fighting.