Shloka 68

Devanagari script

शोणितेन परिक्लिन्नो रथाद्‌ भूमिमथापतत्‌

Transliteration

śoṇitena pariklinno rathād bhūmim athāpatat

Translation

Sañjaya said: Soaked and matted with blood, he then fell from the chariot down onto the ground—an image of the battlefield’s brutal consequence, where valor and ambition alike are brought low by the inexorable law of war.

Word by Word

• शोणितेन: with blood
• शोणितेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोणित
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• परिक्लिन्नः: soaked all over
• परिक्लिन्नः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + क्लिद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथात्: from the chariot
• रथात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• भूमिम्: to the ground
• भूमिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अपतत्: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• ratha (chariot)
• bhūmi (ground/earth)
• śoṇita (blood)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark moral gravity of war: bodily prowess and status (even being on a chariot) offer no immunity from suffering and death. It implicitly warns that violence culminates in ruin, reminding the listener of impermanence and the karmic weight of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a combatant collapsing—blood-soaked—falling from his chariot to the earth. The line functions as a vivid battlefield detail marking a turning point where a warrior is struck down or incapacitated.