Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 60

Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host

Devanagari script

अश्वारोहाश्व पाण्डूनामब्रुवन्‌ रुधिरोक्षिता:

Transliteration

aśvārohāś ca pāṇḍūnām abruvan rudhirokṣitāḥ

Translation

សញ្ជ័យបាននិយាយ៖ កងទ័ពសេះរបស់បណ្ឌវៈ ដែលត្រូវឈាមប៉ះពាល់ពេញខ្លួន បាននិយាយឡើង—រាយការណ៍ពីសភាពដ៏សាហាវនៃសមរភូមិ និងបញ្ជូនដំណឹងបន្ទាន់មកកណ្ដាលភាពចលាចលនៃសង្គ្រាម។

Word by Word

• अश्वारोहाः: horse-riders
• अश्वारोहाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वारोह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वपाण्डूनाम्: of the pale horses
• अश्वपाण्डूनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वपाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अब्रुवन्: said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural

• रुधिरोक्षिताः: sprinkled/smeared with blood
• रुधिरोक्षिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुधिरोक्षित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• horsemen (cavalry)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the immediacy and moral weight of wartime communication: those directly engaged in violence must still speak truthfully and urgently, bearing witness to consequences and enabling responsible action amid disorder.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava cavalry, visibly marked by battle (blood-spattered), are speaking—likely delivering news or warnings from the front, reflecting the intensity and confusion of the ongoing conflict in the Śalya Parva.