Shloka 31

Devanagari script

अश्वानां पततां चापि प्रासानामृष्टिभि: सह । गदानां परिघानां च शक्तितोमरपट्टिशै:

Transliteration

aśvānāṃ patatāṃ cāpi prāsānām ṛṣṭibhiḥ saha | gadānāṃ parighānāṃ ca śaktitomarapaṭṭiśaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang mulia, kuda-kuda pun berjatuhan; tombak bersama lembing; demikian pula gada dan pemukul besi—beserta śakti, tomara, dan kapak perang. Dalam daftar muram senjata dan korban ini, tampaklah mesin perang yang tak berperasaan: makhluk hidup dan alat kekerasan sama-sama terseret ke dalam kebinasaan.”

Word by Word

अश्वानाम्of horses

पतताम्of those falling

चand

अपिalso/even

प्रासानाम्of spears

ऋष्टिभिःwith lances

सहtogether with

गदानाम्of maces

परिघानाम्of iron clubs/bars

चand

शक्तिof a javelin/spear

तोमरof a pike/club (tomara)

पट्टिशैःwith battle-axes (pattiśa)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

horses

spears (prāsa)

lances/pikes (ṛṣṭi)

maces (gadā)

iron clubs/bludgeons (parigha)

śakti (dart)

tomara (javelin)

paṭṭiśa (battle-axe)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a stark reminder of the dehumanizing scale of war: life (even horses) and weaponry are reduced to a falling, collapsing mass. Ethically, it invites reflection on the cost of conflict even when framed within kṣatriya-dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, listing the kinds of weapons present and indicating that horses and armaments are falling amid intense combat.