Shloka 16

Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam

Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32

Devanagari script

नरान्त्रै: केचिदपरे विषाणालग्नसंश्रयै:

Transliteration

narāntraiḥ kecid apare viṣāṇālagna-saṁśrayaiḥ

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「ある者は腸がこぼれ落ち、またある者は角に身が引っ掛かって、しがみついたまま宙にぶら下がっていた――戦場にはそのような凄惨な光景が満ちていた。この語りは戦の道義的代償を示す。ダルマが崩れ、歯止めなき暴力へと堕するとき、人の身体と尊厳は恐るべき見世物へと貶められるのだ。」

Word by Word

• नरान्त्रैः: with human entrails
• नरान्त्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अन्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• केचित्: some (persons)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अपरे: others
• अपरे: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अपर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विषाणालग्नसंश्रयैः: with (things) having supports fastened to horns / with horn-fastened supports
• विषाणालग्नसंश्रयैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषाण + लग्न + संश्रय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• विषाण (horns)
• नरान्त्र (human entrails)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a stark ethical reminder: war, even when framed by claims of dharma, produces extreme bodily suffering and dehumanizing scenes. It cautions against romanticizing violence and highlights the grave karmic and moral weight of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports gruesome battlefield sights: some warriors lie with their entrails exposed, while others are caught and hanging upon horns. The line is part of a broader depiction of the chaos and carnage during the fighting in Droṇa Parva.