Shloka 8

Devanagari script

क्षिप्तै: कनकचित्रैश्न नृपच्छत्रै: क्षितिर्बभी

Transliteration

kṣiptaiḥ kanakacitraiś ca nṛpacchatraiḥ kṣitir babhū

Translation

Saṃjaya said: The earth appeared strewn and adorned with royal parasols—cast down in the tumult—many of them richly ornamented with gold. The image underscores the reversal of worldly sovereignty in war: emblems of kingship lie discarded, reminding that pride and power are fragile before the consequences of adharma and violence.

Word by Word

• क्षिप्तैः: by/with (things) thrown, scattered
• क्षिप्तैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षिप्त (√क्षिप्)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• कनकचित्रैः: gold-adorned / variegated with gold
• कनकचित्रैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कनकचित्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• नृपच्छत्रैः: with kings' umbrellas (royal parasols)
• नृपच्छत्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपच्छत्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• क्षितिः: the earth, ground
• क्षितिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• बभी: became / was
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (√भू)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

संयज उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Saṃjaya
• royal parasols (nṛpacchatrāṇi)
• earth/ground (kṣiti)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses battlefield imagery to teach the impermanence of worldly status: symbols of sovereignty (royal parasols) become mere debris when dharma collapses into war, cautioning against pride and attachment to power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Saṃjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: royal parasols, richly decorated with gold, have been hurled down and lie scattered across the ground, visually conveying the scale of defeat and disorder among kings and warriors.