Shloka 36

Devanagari script

शोणिताक्तान्‌ हयारोहान्‌ गृहीतप्रासतोमरान्‌

Transliteration

śoṇitāktān hayārohān gṛhītaprāsatomarān

Translation

Sañjaya said: “(He beheld) the horsemen smeared with blood, holding spears and javelins in their hands.” The line underscores the grim immediacy of battle—warriors remain armed and intent even when wounded, revealing both steadfast martial resolve and the ethical cost of violence.

Word by Word

• शोणिताक्तान्: smeared with blood
• शोणिताक्तान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोणित + आक्त (√अञ्ज्/अक्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• हयारोहान्: horse-riders
• हयारोहान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय + आरोह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• गृहीतप्रासतोमरान्: holding spears and javelins
• गृहीतप्रासतोमरान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृहीत (√ग्रह्) + प्रास + तोमर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horsemen
• horses
• blood
• spears (prāsa)
• javelins (tomara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: even bloodied and wounded, warriors persist with weapons in hand. Ethically, it points to the endurance demanded by kṣatriya warfare while simultaneously exposing the human cost and moral weight of battlefield violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes a scene of mounted fighters—blood-smeared horsemen—still gripping spears and javelins, indicating ongoing, close and brutal combat.