Shloka 25

Devanagari script

विशालायतताम्राक्षै: पूर्णचन्द्रनिभाननै: । एषा भू: कीर्यते राज्ञां शिरोभिरपलायिनाम्‌,'जो युद्धसे कभी पीछे नहीं हटते, उन राजाओंके कटे हुए मस्तकोंसे यह रणभूमि पटी जा रही है। उन मस्तकोंके नेत्र बड़े-बड़े और लाल हैं तथा मुख पूर्ण चन्द्रमाके समान मनोहर है

Transliteration

viśālāyatataṃrākṣaiḥ pūrṇacandranibhānanaiḥ | eṣā bhūḥ kīryate rājñāṃ śirobhir apalāyinām ||

Translation

ಯುದ್ಧದಿಂದ ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಓಡದ ರಾಜರ ಕಡಿದ ತಲೆಗಳಿಂದ ಈ ರಣಭೂಮಿ ಚದುರಿ ತುಂಬುತ್ತಿದೆ; ಅವುಗಳ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳು ದೊಡ್ಡದು, ಕೆಂಪಾಗಿವೆ; ಮುಖಗಳು ಪೂರ್ಣಚಂದ್ರನಂತೆ ಮನೋಹರವಾಗಿವೆ.

Word by Word

विशालायतताम्राक्षैःwith (those) having large, elongated, reddish eyes

पूर्णचन्द्रनिभाननैःwith (those) whose faces are like the full moon

एषाthis

भूःground; earth; battlefield

कीर्यतेis strewn/covered

राज्ञाम्of kings

शिरोभिःwith heads

अपलायिनाम्of those who do not flee; non-retreating

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

kings (rājānaḥ)

battlefield/earth (bhūḥ)

severed heads (śiras)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grim paradox of martial virtue: steadfastness and refusal to flee are praised in kṣatriya-dharma, yet war reduces even noble, moon-faced kings to severed heads on the ground. It invites reflection on the ethical weight and human cost of righteous combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna describes the battlefield after intense fighting: the ground is covered with the severed heads of kings who stood their ground and did not retreat, emphasizing both their valor and the horrific aftermath of battle.