Shloka 104

Devanagari script

गोत्रनामभिरन्योन्यमाक्रन्दन्त ततो जना: । हाहाकारं च कुर्वाणा: पृथिव्यां शेरते परे

Transliteration

gotranāmabhir anyonyam ākrandanta tato janāḥ | hāhākāraṃ ca kurvāṇāḥ pṛthivyāṃ śerate pare ||

Translation

ಆಗ ಜನರು ಗೋತ್ರ-ಹೆಸರುಗಳಿಂದ ಪರಸ್ಪರರನ್ನು ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾ ಅಳಲಾರಂಭಿಸಿದರು. “ಹಾಯ್! ಹಾಯ್!” ಎಂದು ಹಾಹಾಕಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವರು ಭೂಮಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಬಿದ್ದೇ ಉಳಿದರು.

Word by Word

गोत्रनामभिःwith clan- and name-(calls)

अन्योन्यम्mutually, to one another

आक्रन्दन्तcried out, wailed

ततःthen, thereafter

जनाःpeople

हाहाकारम्a cry of lamentation

चand

कुर्वाणाःmaking, uttering

पृथिव्याम्on the earth, on the ground

शेरतेlie, rest

परेothers (some others)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

ज

जनाः (the people)

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 human cost of adharma-driven violence: in the aftermath, social identity (clan names) becomes a desperate means of recognition and survival, while grief and fear reduce people to helpless lamentation—an ethical reminder that cruelty in war devastates both victors and victims.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the nocturnal slaughter described in the Sauptika Parva, survivors and onlookers cry out, calling to one another by lineage names amid chaos. Many others, overcome by shock and sorrow, lie on the ground wailing.