Shloka 39
ततः कुरूणामभवदार्तनादो महान् नृप । नराश्वनागासुहरैर्वध्यतामर्जुनेषुभि:,नरेश्वर! तदनन्तर मनुष्यों, घोड़ों और हाथियोंके प्राण लेनेवाले अर्जुनके बाणोंद्वारा हताहत होते हुए कौरवोंका महान् आर्तनाद प्रकट होने लगा
tataḥ kurūṇām abhavad ārtanādo mahān nṛpa | narāśvanāgāsuharair vadhyatām arjuneṣubhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, a great wail of anguish arose among the Kurus, as they were being struck down by Arjuna’s arrows—arrows that robbed men, horses, and elephants of their very lives. The battlefield’s sound turned into a collective lament, revealing the terrible cost of war as prowess became slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: martial excellence and duty on the battlefield inevitably generate widespread suffering. It implicitly invites ethical reflection on violence—how even ‘righteous’ warfare produces lamentation and loss of life across all ranks and creatures.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Arjuna’s arrows are cutting down the Kaurava forces so fiercely that a massive cry of distress rises from their side, as men, horses, and elephants are slain.