Shloka 36
तैराहतास्ते शरशक्तिशूलै- गदाभिरुग्रै: परिचैश्व दीप्तै: । वजै: पिनाकैरशनिप्रहारै: शतध्निचक्रैर्मथिताश्व पेतु:,उन निशाचरोंके बरसाये हुए बाण, शक्ति, शूल, गदा, उग्र प्रज्वलित परिघ, वद्र, पिनाक, बिजली, शतघ्नी और चक्र आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके प्रहारोंसे रौंदे गये कौरव-योद्धा मर-मरकर पृथ्वीपर गिरने लगे
tair āhatās te śaraśaktiśūlaiḥ gadābhir ugraiḥ parighaiś ca dīptaiḥ | vajraiḥ pinākair aśaniprahāraiḥ śatadhnīcakrair mathitāś ca petuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Struck by those night-rangers with volleys of arrows, spears, tridents, fierce maces, and blazing iron clubs—smashed as well by thunderbolt-like weapons, pināka-arrows, lightning-like blows, śataghni missiles, and whirling discs—the Kaurava warriors, crushed by the onslaught, began to fall to the earth, dying one after another. The scene underscores the moral weight of war: when violence is unleashed without restraint, even the mighty are reduced to helpless mortality, and the battlefield becomes a stark mirror of impermanence and the cost of adharma-driven fury.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of warfare: once mass violence is set in motion, it indiscriminately crushes lives and reveals the fragility of human power. It implicitly warns that adharma-fueled conflict leads to widespread ruin, making the battlefield a lesson in impermanence and accountability.
Sañjaya describes Kaurava fighters being overwhelmed by the night-rangers’ assault. A barrage of diverse weapons—arrows, spears, tridents, maces, blazing clubs, thunderbolt-like missiles, lightning-like strikes, śataghni projectiles, and discs—batters them until they collapse and die on the ground.