Shloka 11
भूमावश्रूयत महांस्तदा55सीत् कृपणं महत् | पततां पात्यमानानां पत्त्यश्वरथदन्तिनाम्,वह बढ़ा हुआ अत्यन्त भयानक शब्द उस समय स्वर्गलोकतक जा पहुँचा था। नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंस कटकर छटपटाते हुए योद्धाओंका महान् आर्तनाद धरतीपर सुनायी दे रहा था। गिरते और गिराये जाते हुए पैदल, घोड़े, रथ और हाथियोंकी अत्यन्त दयनीय दशा दिखायी देती थी
sañjaya uvāca | bhūmāv aśrūyata mahāṁs tadā śabdaḥ kṛpaṇo mahān | patatāṁ pātyamānānāṁ patty-aśva-ratha-dantinām ||
Sañjaya said: Then, upon the earth, there was heard a vast and piteous roar. It was the great, helpless cry of foot-soldiers, horses, charioteers, and elephants—some falling, others being struck down—revealing the misery that war inflicts when bodies are shattered and lives are forced into ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical cost of warfare: beyond strategy and victory, battle produces a 'kṛpaṇa'—a pitiable, helpless—outcry. It invites reflection on compassion and the human (and animal) suffering that accompanies violence, even within a dharma-framed conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield soundscape: a huge, mournful roar rises from those falling and being felled—infantry, horses, chariots, and elephants—capturing the chaos and misery of the ongoing slaughter.