Shloka 38
Devanagari script
तैरश्मचूर्णै्दीप्यद्धि: खद्योतानामिव व्रजै: । प्राय: सैन्यान्यहन्यन्त हाहाभूतानि मारिष
Transliteration
taiḥ śmacūrṇair dīpyadbhir khadyotānām iva vrajaiḥ | prāyaḥ sainyāny ahanyanta hāhābhūtāni māriṣa ||
Translation
ああ、尊き王よ。蛍の群れのようにきらめく石の粉塵の雨によって、ほとんど全軍が打たれ、「ああ、ああ」と嘆きの叫びが起こった。
Word by Word
तैःby those
तैः:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
Formmasculine/neuter, instrumental, plural
अश्मचूर्णैःwith stone-dust/powdered rocks
अश्मचूर्णैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootअश्मचूर्ण
Formneuter, instrumental, plural
दीप्यत्shining, blazing
दीप्यत्:
TypeAdjective
Rootदीप्
Formneuter, nominative, singular
हिindeed
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
खद्योतानाम्of fireflies
खद्योतानाम्:
TypeNoun
Rootखद्योत
Formmasculine, genitive, plural
इवlike, as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
व्रजैःwith groups/swarms
व्रजैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootव्रज
Formmasculine, instrumental, plural
प्रायःfor the most part, almost
प्रायः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootप्रायः
सैन्यानिarmies, troops
सैन्यानि:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसैन्य
Formneuter, nominative, plural
अहन्यन्तwere struck/being slain
अहन्यन्त:
TypeVerb
Rootहन्
Formimperfect (laṅ), 3rd, plural, passive (karmaṇi)
हाहाभूतानिhaving become ‘hāhā’ (wailing), panic-stricken
हाहाभूतानि:
TypeAdjective
Rootहाहाभूत
Formneuter, nominative, plural
मारिषO venerable sir
मारिष:
TypeNoun
Rootमारिष
Formmasculine, vocative, singular
माननीयO worthy of honor
माननीय:
TypeAdjective
Rootमाननीय
Formmasculine, vocative, singular
नरेशO king
नरेश:
TypeNoun
Rootनरेश
Formmasculine, vocative, singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaA
armies/troops (sainyāni)S
stone-fragments/stone-dust (aśma-cūrṇa)F
fireflies (khadyota)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical horror of war: once violence escalates, harm spreads widely and indiscriminately, and the battlefield becomes dominated by collective anguish rather than righteous order.
Sañjaya describes blazing stone-fragments flying about like swarms of fireflies; these strike the troops on all sides, and the armies, badly hurt, erupt into cries of distress (‘hāhā’).