Mahabharata 7.189.8 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 189, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

द्रवतां च पदातीनां शस्त्राणां पततामपि,दौड़ते हुए पैदलों, गिरते हुए शस्त्रों, हिनहिनाते हुए घोड़ों, लौटते हुए रथों तथा चीखते- चिल्लाते और गरजते हुए शूरवीरोंका मिला हुआ महाभयंकर शब्द वहाँ गूँज रहा था

Transliteration

dravatāṁ ca padātīnāṁ śastrāṇāṁ patatām api

Translation

ഓടുന്ന പാദസൈന്യം, വീഴുന്ന ആയുധങ്ങൾ, കുതിരകളുടെ ഹ്രേഷാധ്വനി, തിരിഞ്ഞുപോകുന്ന രഥങ്ങൾ, കൂടാതെ നിലവിളികളും ആർത്തനാദങ്ങളും യുദ്ധഗർജ്ജനങ്ങളും—ഇവയൊക്കെയും ചേർന്ന് അവിടെ ഒരൊറ്റ മഹാഭീകര നാദമായി മുഴങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• द्रवताम्: of (those) running
• द्रवताम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रवत् (√द्रु)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पदातीनाम्: of foot-soldiers
• पदातीनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदाति
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• शस्त्राणाम्: of weapons
• शस्त्राणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• पतताम्: of (those) falling
• पतताम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतत् (√पत्)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• foot-soldiers (padātayaḥ)
• weapons (śastrāṇi)
• horses
• chariots
• warriors (śūrāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the moral and psychological cost of war: when dharma collapses into uncontrolled violence, the battlefield becomes a place of terror and confusion, where even the basic order of armies breaks down into panic, noise, and suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the overwhelming, frightening din on the battlefield—infantry running, weapons dropping, horses neighing, chariots turning back, and warriors crying out and roaring—conveying a moment of intense disorder and fear.