Shloka 246

भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः

Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas

Devanagari script

चापैश्वन बहुधा च्छिन्नैः समास्तीर्यत मेदिनी । माननीय प्रजानाथ! वरूथोंसहित टूटे हुए रथ

Transliteration

cāpaiś ca bahudhā chinnaiḥ samāstīryata medinī |

Translation

संजय म्हणाला—प्रजानाथ! तेथे भूमी तुटलेल्या रथांनी व वरूथांसह, मारलेल्या रथींनी, कापलेल्या बाणांनी, कवचांनी, पट्टिशांनी, गदांनी, भिन्दिपालांनी, तीक्ष्ण सायकांनी, छिन्नभिन्न अनुकर्ष-उपासंगांनी, चाकांनी, कापलेल्या बाहूंनी, धनुष्यांनी, खड्गांनी, कुंडलांसह मस्तकांनी, तलत्राणांनी, अंगुलित्राणांनी, पडलेल्या ध्वजांनी आणि अनेक तुकड्यांत तुटलेल्या चापांनी सर्वत्र आच्छादित झाली होती।

Word by Word

• चापैः: with bows
• चापैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाप
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

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

• बहुधा: in many ways / variously
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुधा

• छिन्नैः: by cut/broken (ones)
• छिन्नैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिन्न
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• समास्तीर्यत: was strewn/spread over
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्तॄ
• Form: Imperfect, 3, Singular, Passive

• मेदिनी: the earth
• मेदिनी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• bows (cāpa)
• earth/ground (medinī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark cost of war: weapons meant for prowess end as debris, and the earth itself becomes a record of violence. It implicitly cautions against pride in martial strength and highlights the transience of power when dharma collapses into slaughter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene: the ground is so thickly strewn with broken bows that it appears covered or carpeted by them, emphasizing the intensity of the fighting and the scale of destruction.