Shloka 38

Devanagari script

ततः प्रवत्ते संग्रामे विमिश्रा: कुरुसोमका: । अन्योन्यमभिगर्जान्त: शस्त्रैदेहानपातयन्‌,युद्ध आरम्भ हो जानेपर कौरव तथा सोमकयोद्धा परस्पर मिश्रित हो गये और एक- दूसरेके निकट गर्जना करते हुए शस्त्रोंद्वारा अपने-अपने शत्रुओंके शरीरोंको धराशायी करने लगे

Transliteration

tataḥ pravatte saṅgrāme vimiśrāḥ kurusomakāḥ | anyonyam abhigarjantaḥ śastrair dehān apātayan ||

Translation

戦が完全に始まると、クルの武者とソーマカの戦士たちは入り乱れて近接戦となった。互いに間近で咆哮し合い、武器を振るって、それぞれの敵の身体を次々と倒してゆく—武勇と憤怒がうねり上がる一方で、殺戮の道義的代償が沈黙のうちに積み重なる、戦の奔流の光景である。

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रवृत्तेhaving started, commenced

संग्रामेin the battle

विमिश्राःmingled, intermingled

कुरु-सोमकाःthe Kurus and the Somakas

अन्योन्यम्mutually, each other

अभिगर्जन्तःroaring at (one another)

शस्त्रैःwith weapons

देहान्bodies

अपातयन्they felled, caused to fall

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kurus

Somakas

weapons (śastra)

battle (saṅgrāma)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the irreversible momentum of war: once combat begins, opponents intermingle and violence escalates rapidly. Implicitly, it points to the ethical tension of kṣatriya valor—courage and duty expressed through battle—set against the grave human cost of bringing bodies down with weapons.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛpa describes the battle’s onset: Kuru and Somaka warriors close in, mix together in the melee, shout challenges, and strike each other with weapons, causing many fighters to fall.