Shloka 37
द्रोणस्य सुपर्णव्यूहः — युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यव्यूहः
Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array
सा भूमिर्भरतश्रेष्ठ निहतैस्तैर्महारथै: । आस्तीर्णा सम्बभौ सर्वा प्रेतीभूते: समन्तत:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! वहाँ मारे गये महारथियोंसे आच्छादित हुई वह सारी भूमि सब ओरसे प्रेतोंद्ारा घिरी हुई-सी जान पड़ती थी
sā bhūmir bharataśreṣṭha nihatās tair mahārathaiḥ | āstīrṇā sambabhau sarvā pretībhūtaiḥ samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O best of the Bharatas, that entire stretch of earth, covered over with those slain great chariot-warriors, appeared on every side as though encircled by spirits of the dead—an image of the battlefield’s moral ruin and the dreadful cost of kṣatriya warfare.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under the banner of kṣatriya duty, mass slaughter transforms the earth into a haunted space, reminding the listener of the human cost, the fragility of life, and the moral shadow that violence casts.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: the ground is strewn with the bodies of fallen great warriors, and the scene appears as if surrounded by pretas (spirits), emphasizing the horror and desolation of the moment.