Mahabharata 9.23.60 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 60

Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host

Devanagari script

अश्वारोहाश्व पाण्डूनामब्रुवन्‌ रुधिरोक्षिता:

Transliteration

aśvārohāś ca pāṇḍūnām abruvan rudhirokṣitāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Les cavaliers des Pāṇḍavas, éclaboussés de sang, prirent la parole—rapportant la sombre réalité du champ de bataille et portant des nouvelles pressantes au milieu du tumulte de la guerre.

Word by Word

• अश्वारोहाः: horse-riders
• अश्वारोहाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वारोह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वपाण्डूनाम्: of the pale horses
• अश्वपाण्डूनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वपाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अब्रुवन्: said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural

• रुधिरोक्षिताः: sprinkled/smeared with blood
• रुधिरोक्षिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुधिरोक्षित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• horsemen (cavalry)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the immediacy and moral weight of wartime communication: those directly engaged in violence must still speak truthfully and urgently, bearing witness to consequences and enabling responsible action amid disorder.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava cavalry, visibly marked by battle (blood-spattered), are speaking—likely delivering news or warnings from the front, reflecting the intensity and confusion of the ongoing conflict in the Śalya Parva.