Shloka 38

Devanagari script

रजोमेघास्तु संजज्ञु: शस्त्रविद्युद्धिरावृता: । धनुषां चापि निर्घोषो दारुण: समपद्यत

Transliteration

rajomeghās tu saṃjajñuḥ śastravidyuddhirāvṛtāḥ | dhanuṣāṃ cāpi nirghoṣo dāruṇaḥ samapadyata ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Awan debu pun bangkit, menebal menutupi medan di tengah dentang pertembungan senjata; dan deru menggerunkan daripada busur-busur turut memenuhi udara—menandakan bahawa pertempuran telah benar-benar meluncur ke jalurnya yang paling ganas.

Word by Word

रजोमेघाःclouds of dust

तुbut/indeed

संजज्ञुःarose/appeared

शस्त्रविद्युद्धिरावृताःcovered with weapon-flashes

धनुषाम्of bows

चand

अपिalso/even

निर्घोषःroar/sound

दारुणःterrible

समपद्यतcame about/ensued

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

dust clouds

weapons

bows

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 offers a sober, sensory portrayal of war’s escalation: confusion (dust), danger (weapon-flash), and fear (dreadful roar). Ethically, it underscores how battle overwhelms clarity and peace, reminding the listener that violence rapidly becomes all-encompassing once unleashed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the fighting has intensified: dust rises like clouds, the field is obscured amid flashing weapons, and the terrifying sound of bows reverberates—marking the full onset of fierce combat.