Shloka 76

युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya

Devanagari script

हतानभिमुखान्‌ वीरान्‌ वीरै:ः शतसहस्रश:

Transliteration

hatān abhimukhān vīrān vīraiḥ śata-sahasraśaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Warriors who had advanced to face the enemy were slain—by other warriors—in their hundreds of thousands.

Word by Word

• हतान्: slain
• हतान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (√हन्)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अभिमुखान्: facing (towards), confronting
• अभिमुखान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिमुख
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वीरान्: heroes/warriors
• वीरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वीरैः: by heroes/warriors
• वीरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शतसहस्रशः: by hundreds of thousands; in hundreds of thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतसहस्रशस्
• Form: true

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• warriors (vīrāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the catastrophic scale of war: even brave, forward-facing fighters fall in immense numbers, highlighting the fragility of life and the grave ethical cost of armed conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the ongoing slaughter on the battlefield, describing how warriors who charged to meet the enemy were cut down by opposing warriors in enormous numbers.