Shloka 583

Devanagari script

हतानि च विकीर्णानि शरीराणि शरीरिणाम्‌ | माननीय नरेश! उस युद्धमें रथोंके समूह परस्पर सटे हुए ही दिखायी देते थे और देहधारियोंके शरीर मरकर बिखरे हुए थे

Transliteration

hatāni ca vikīrṇāni śarīrāṇi śarīriṇām |

Translation

Bhīmasena says: “The bodies of embodied beings lay slain and scattered about.” The line underscores the grim moral cost of battle—life reduced to lifeless matter—serving as a stark reminder of the devastation that follows when dharma is pursued through violent necessity on the battlefield.

Word by Word

• हतानि: slain, killed
• हतानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• विकीर्णानि: scattered, strewn about
• विकीर्णानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + कृ (धातु) → विकीर्ण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• शरीराणि: bodies
• शरीराणि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• शरीरिणाम्: of embodied beings
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीरिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīmasena
• bodies of warriors (śarīrāṇi)
• embodied beings (śarīriṇaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: regardless of victory or duty, the immediate reality is death and the scattering of human bodies. It invites reflection on the cost of violence and the tragic consequences that accompany even ‘necessary’ warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīma describes the battlefield scene in the Droṇa Parva: warriors have been killed, and their bodies lie strewn across the field, emphasizing the intensity and carnage of the ongoing conflict.