Shloka 34
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
अवगाढान् मज्जयन्त्य: क्षत्रस्याजनयन् भयम् । क्रव्यादानां नरव्याप्र नर्दतां तत्र तत्र ह
avagāḍhān majjayantyaḥ kṣatrasyājanayan bhayam | kravyādānāṃ naravyāghra nardatāṃ tatra tatra ha ||
Sañjaya said: “Plunging deep and dragging them down, they spread terror among the warrior order. And, O tiger among men, the flesh-eating creatures roared here and there across the field.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and psychological cost of war: even the kṣatriya order, trained for battle, is shaken by fear when destruction becomes overwhelming, and the presence of scavengers signals the grim aftermath that follows violence.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield turning terrifying: forces or creatures are dragging warriors down (suggesting chaos, rout, or deadly entrapment), while carrion-eaters roar across the field, indicating heavy casualties and the spreading dread among the fighters.