Shloka 78

Devanagari script

भोजतस्तु क्षतसर्वाजड्रो भीमसेनेन मारिष | रक्ताशोक इवोत्फुल्लो व्यभ्राजत रणाजिरे,माननीय नरेश! भीमसेनने उन बाणोंद्वारा कृतवर्माके सम्पूर्ण अंगोंको क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया। वह रणांगणमें खूनसे लथपथ हो खिले हुए लाल फूलोंवाले अशोकवृक्षके समान सुशोभित होने लगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | bhojatas tu kṣata-sarvāṅgo bhīmasenena māriṣa | raktāśoka ivotphullo vyabhrājata raṇājire ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ô roi vénérable, Kṛtavarmā de la lignée des Bhoja, le corps tout entier lacéré et blessé par Bhīmasena, brillait sur le champ de bataille—ruisselant de sang et pourtant saisissant—tel un aśoka rouge en pleine floraison.

Word by Word

• भोजतः: of Bhoja (i.e., of Kṛtavarman, the Bhoja prince)
• भोजतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• क्षत: wounded
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षत (कृदन्त; √क्षद्/क्षत् in sense 'to wound' > past passive participle)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वाङ्गः: having all limbs (i.e., in all his limbs)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अजड्रः: Ajadra (name/epithet of the warrior here, i.e., Kṛtavarman)
• अजड्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजड्र (प्रातिपदिक; proper name/epithet)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भीमसेनेन: by Bhīmasena
• भीमसेनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मारिष: O sir!/O noble one!
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारिष (सम्बोधन-शब्द)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• रक्ताशोकः: a red Aśoka tree (with red blossoms)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्ताशोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like/as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• उत्फुल्लः: fully blossomed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्फुल्ल (कृदन्त; √फुल्ल/√फुल् 'to bloom' > past participle)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यभ्राजत: shone forth/appeared splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्राज् (दीप्तौ) with prefix वि-; लङ्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• रणाजिरे: in the battlefield
• रणाजिरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रणाजिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra
• Bhimasena
• Kritavarma
• Bhoja (lineage)
• battlefield (raṇājira)
• aśoka tree (raktāśoka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral tension of war: martial excellence can appear radiant, yet it is inseparable from injury and bloodshed. It cautions that even when combat is framed as duty, its beauty is metaphorical and unsettling, reminding the listener to discern dharma beyond mere spectacle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīmasena has struck Kṛtavarmā so severely that his entire body is wounded. Covered in blood, Kṛtavarmā nevertheless appears conspicuous on the battlefield, compared poetically to a red aśoka tree in full bloom.