Shloka 38

Devanagari script

रजोमेघास्तु संजज्ञु: शस्त्रविद्युद्धिरावृता: । धनुषां चापि निर्घोषो दारुण: समपद्यत

Transliteration

rajomeghās tu saṃjajñuḥ śastravidyuddhirāvṛtāḥ | dhanuṣāṃ cāpi nirghoṣo dāruṇaḥ samapadyata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Clouds of dust rose up, thickly veiling the field amid the clash of weapons; and the dreadful roar of bows, too, came to fill the air—signaling that the battle had fully surged into its fierce course.

Word by Word

रजोमेघाःclouds of dust

तुbut/indeed

संजज्ञुःarose/appeared

शस्त्रविद्युद्धिरावृताःcovered with weapon-flashes

धनुषाम्of bows

चand

अपिalso/even

निर्घोषःroar/sound

दारुणःterrible

समपद्यतcame about/ensued

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

dust clouds

weapons

bows

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse offers a sober, sensory portrayal of war’s escalation: confusion (dust), danger (weapon-flash), and fear (dreadful roar). Ethically, it underscores how battle overwhelms clarity and peace, reminding the listener that violence rapidly becomes all-encompassing once unleashed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the fighting has intensified: dust rises like clouds, the field is obscured amid flashing weapons, and the terrifying sound of bows reverberates—marking the full onset of fierce combat.