Shloka 363

Devanagari script

रथर्षभाणामुग्राणां संनिपातममानुषम्‌ । उन उग्र महारथियोंका वह घोर, अत्यन्त आश्चर्यजनक और अमानुषिक संग्राम वहाँ सब लोग सब ओरसे देखने लगे

Transliteration

ratharṣabhāṇām ugrāṇāṁ sannipātam amānuṣam |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “There occurred there an inhuman, awe-inspiring clash of fierce, foremost chariot-warriors—so terrible and astonishing that all around, people kept watching it from every side.”

Word by Word

• रथर्षभाणाम्: of the foremost among chariot-warriors
• रथर्षभाणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• उग्राणाम्: of the fierce
• उग्राणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• संनिपातम्: encounter; clash; assembly (here: battle-meeting)
• संनिपातम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: संनिपात
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अमानुषम्: superhuman; not of men
• अमानुषम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमानुष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• ratharṣabhāḥ (foremost chariot-warriors)
• mahārathāḥ (great chariot-warriors, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war can escalate beyond ordinary human limits—becoming ‘amānuṣa’—and invites reflection on the ethical cost of heroic violence: even when performed by the greatest warriors, battle can appear terrifying and morally unsettling to onlookers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a sudden, intense collision between the foremost and fiercest chariot-warriors. The encounter is so extraordinary and dreadful that people watch it from all directions, emphasizing the scale and shock of the fighting.