Shloka 9

Devanagari script

रथोपस्थाभिपतितैरास्तृता मानवैर्मही । प्रनृत्यतीव संग्रामे चापहस्तो धनंजय:,कुछ ही देरमें युद्धका सारा मैदान मूर्च्छित हुए सैनिकोंके शरीरोंसे पट गया। तीखे बाणोंकी मारसे जिनके प्राण निकल गये थे, उन हाथीसवारों, घुड़सवारों तथा रथकी बैठकसे गिरे हुए मनुष्योंकी लाशोंसे वहाँकी भूमि आच्छादित हो गयी थी। उस समय ऐसा जान पड़ता था, जैसे धनुष हाथमें लिये अर्जुन युद्धभूमिमें सब ओर नाचते फिर रहे हों

Transliteration

rathopasthābhipatitair āstṛtā mānavair mahī | pranṛtyatīva saṅgrāme cāpahasto dhanañjayaḥ ||

Translation

Bumi berserakan oleh orang-orang yang jatuh dari tempat duduk kereta. Dalam pertempuran itu, Dhanañjaya, busur di tangan, tampak seakan menari di medan laga.

Word by Word

रथोपस्थाभिपतितैःby those fallen onto the chariot-seat

आस्तृताcovered, strewn

मानवैःby men (human beings)

महीthe earth/ground

प्रनृत्यतिdances (as it were)

इवas if, like

संग्रामेin the battle

चापहस्तःhaving a bow in hand

धनंजयःDhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

chariot (ratha)

battlefield/earth (mahī)

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 highlights the paradox of righteous warfare: a warrior’s trained excellence can appear graceful and effortless, yet it unfolds amid severe human loss. It implicitly urges awareness of war’s moral weight even when one acts within kṣatriya duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

The battlefield becomes covered with fallen men, especially those thrown from chariots. Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), holding his bow, moves so swiftly in combat that he appears to be ‘dancing’ as he overwhelms opponents.