Shloka 39
ततः कुरूणामभवदार्तनादो महान् नृप । नराश्वनागासुहरैर्वध्यतामर्जुनेषुभि:
tataḥ kurūṇām abhavad ārtanādo mahān nṛpa | narāśvanāgāsuharair vadhyatām arjuneṣubhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian, wahai Raja, terdengarlah ratapan besar dalam kalangan Kuru, ketika mereka ditumpaskan oleh anak panah Arjuna—anak panah yang meragut nyawa manusia, kuda dan gajah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: martial excellence and duty on the battlefield inevitably generate widespread suffering. It implicitly invites ethical reflection on violence—how even ‘righteous’ warfare produces lamentation and loss of life across all ranks and creatures.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Arjuna’s arrows are cutting down the Kaurava forces so fiercely that a massive cry of distress rises from their side, as men, horses, and elephants are slain.