Valmiki Ramayana 6.43.42 — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 42
द्वन्द्वयुद्धप्रवृत्तिः
Dvandva-Yuddha: The Onset of Single Combats
भग्नैखडगैर्गदाभिश्चशक्तितोमरपट्टसै: ।अपविद्धैश्चाभिन्नैश्चरथैस्साङ्ग्रामिकैर्हयैः ।।6.43.42।।निहतैःकुञ्जरैर्मत्स्सैस्तथावानरराक्षसैः ।चक्राक्षयुगदण्डैश्चभग्नैर्धरणिसंश्रितैः ।।6.43.43।।बभूवायोधनंघोरंगोमायुगणसेवितम् ।
bhagnair khaḍagair gadābhiś ca śakti-tomara-paṭṭasaiḥ |
apaviddhaiś cābhinnaiś ca rathaiḥ sāṅgrāmikair hayaiḥ ||6.43.42||
nihatāiḥ kuñjaraiḥ matsyaiḥ tathā vānararākṣasaiḥ |
cakrākṣa-yuga-daṇḍaiś ca bhagnair dharaṇisaṃśritaiḥ ||6.43.43||
babhūva āyodhanaṃ ghoraṃ gomāyugaṇa-sevitam |
The battlefield grew dreadful—strewn with broken swords and maces, spears, javelins, and axes; with shattered and overturned chariots and war-horses; with heaps of fallen elephants, and of Vānaras and Rākṣasas; and with broken wheels, axles, and yokes scattered upon the earth—so that packs of jackals came to haunt it.
Then the Rakshasas killed by Vanara leaders, their bodies full of blood were looking for sunset and again picking up strength began to battle.।। ityārṣēvālmīkīyēśrīmadrāmāyaṇēādikāvyēyuddhakāṇḍētricatvāriṅśassargaḥ ।।This is the end of the forty third sarga of Yuddha Kanda of the first epic the holy Ramayana composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
It highlights the ethical weight of war: even when fought for dharma, battle brings suffering and ruin, urging sobriety, restraint, and remembrance of life’s impermanence.
After intense fighting, the field is described as strewn with weapons, wreckage, and bodies, attracting scavengers.
Not a single virtue of one character, but the text’s reflective emphasis on vigilance and responsibility in the use of force.
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