Shloka 56

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents

Devanagari script

भूरिद्रुमलतागुल्मं शुष्केन्धनतृणोलपम्‌

Transliteration

bhūridrumalatāgulmaṃ śuṣkendhanatṛṇolapam

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Le lieu regorgeait d’arbres, de lianes et de buissons—à présent réduit à du bois sec, de l’herbe desséchée et des débris épars, évoquant la désolation que la guerre inflige et le prix moral de la violence sur le paysage vivant.»

Word by Word

• भूरि: much, many
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूरि
• Form: indeclinable (used adjectivally: 'much/many')

• द्रुमलतागुल्मम्: trees, creepers, and shrubs (as a mass)
• द्रुमलतागुल्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम + लता + गुल्म
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• शुष्केन्धनतृणोलपम्: dry fuel-wood, grass, and straw/chaff (as a mass)
• शुष्केन्धनतृणोलपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुष्क + इन्धन + तृण + उलप
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical weight of war by showing how violence does not only fell warriors but also devastates the natural world, turning a once-lush landscape into dry, lifeless debris—an implicit reminder of the far-reaching consequences of adharma-driven conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya is describing the battlefield environment: an area that had been rich with trees, vines, and shrubs is now portrayed as withered and broken, like dry firewood and straw, emphasizing the ruin surrounding the combat.