Mahabharata 7.188.18 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 188, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

नद्यौर्न भूमिर्न दिश:ः प्राज्ञायन्त तथागते

Transliteration

nadyor na bhūmir na diśaḥ prājñāyanta tathāgate

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Apabila dia mara demikian, sungai-sungai, bumi, bahkan arah mata angin pun tidak dapat dikenal pasti—segala-galanya menjadi kacau dalam jejak gerakan yang menghambur itu, seolah-olah tertib medan perang ditelan oleh huru-hara.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• द्यौः: sky, heaven
• द्यौः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यौ
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• भूमिः: earth, ground
• भूमिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• दिशः: directions, quarters
• दिशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: feminine, nominative, plural

• प्राज्ञायन्त: were perceived/recognized, became known
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: imperfect (laṅ), 3rd, plural, ātmanepada

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• गते: when (he/it) had gone; upon the departure
• गते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम्
• Form: masculine/neuter, locative, singular, क्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• rivers
• earth/land
• directions (quarters)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how violent momentum and collective upheaval in war can overwhelm human perception, erasing ordinary markers of orientation (land, rivers, directions). Ethically, it underscores war’s power to dissolve clarity and order, warning that conflict distorts judgment and the sense of right direction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment of extreme commotion: as a force (or warrior) advances ‘thus,’ the battlefield becomes so disturbed that even basic landmarks—rivers, the ground, and the cardinal directions—cannot be distinguished.