Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तत आसीतू परामर्दस्तुमुल: शोणितोदक: । शूराणां युध्यमानानां सिंहानामिव नर्दताम्‌,फिर तो वहाँ घोर संग्राम छिड़ गया। सिंहोंके समान गर्जते और जूझते हुए शूरवीरोंका खून पानीकी तरह बहाया जाने लगा

Transliteration

tata āsīt paramardaḥ tumulaḥ śoṇitodakaḥ | śūrāṇāṁ yudhyamānānāṁ siṁhānām iva nardatām ||

Translation

പിന്നീട് അവിടെ ഘോരവും കലഹപൂർണവുമായ മഹാസമരം പൊട്ടിപ്പുറപ്പെട്ടു; സിംഹങ്ങളെപ്പോലെ ഗർജിച്ച് പോരാടുന്ന ശൂരന്മാരുടെ രക്തം വെള്ളംപോലെ ഒഴുകിത്തുടങ്ങി।

Word by Word

ततःthen; thereafter

आसीत्was; arose

परामर्दःcrushing encounter; fierce clash

तुमुलःtumultuous; dreadful

शोणितोदकःhaving blood as water; blood-watered

शूराणाम्of the heroes

युध्यमानानाम्of those fighting

सिंहानाम्of lions

इवlike; as if

नर्दताम्of those roaring

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

heroes/warriors (śūrāḥ)

lions (simile)

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 catastrophic intensity of war: even when warriors act within their martial role, the outcome is a morally sobering spectacle—bloodshed on a scale that makes life seem cheap. It invites reflection on the ethical weight and human cost that accompany righteous or unrighteous conflict alike.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battle escalating into a fierce, chaotic melee. Warriors, roaring like lions, press into combat, and the field becomes so drenched that blood is portrayed as flowing like water.