Shloka 38
Devanagari script
शिरस्तच्चापि संगृहा केशेषु रुधिरोक्षितम्
Transliteration
śirastaccāpi saṅgṛhya keśeṣu rudhirokṣitam
Translation
Sañjaya berkata: Ia pun mengangkat kepala yang terpenggal itu—rambutnya basah tersiram darah.
Word by Word
शिरःhead
शिरः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootशिरस्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
तत्that
तत्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
अपिalso/even
अपि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि
संगृह्यhaving seized/taken up
संगृह्य:
TypeVerb
Rootसम्-ग्रह्
FormAbsolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)
केशेषुin/among the hairs (by the hair)
केशेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootकेश
FormMasculine, Locative, Plural
रुधिर-उक्षितम्sprinkled/smeared with blood
रुधिर-उक्षितम्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootरुधिर + उक्षित (√उक्ष्)
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaH
head (śiras)H
hair (keśa)B
blood (rudhira)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark moral and emotional cost of war: even when actions are framed as duty, the visible reality of bloodshed confronts the conscience and exposes the suffering that accompanies martial success.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene in which a severed head is taken up; its hair is soaked with blood. The detail intensifies the atmosphere of carnage and signals a decisive, terrifying turn in the combat.