Shloka 126

Devanagari script

तदिदं नः कृतं घोर रक्षोभि: क्रूरकर्मभि: । इति लालप्यमाना: सम शेरते बहवो जना:,“आज क्र्रकर्मा राक्षसोंद्वारा हमारी यह भयंकर दुर्दशा की गयी है।” इस प्रकार विलाप करते हुए बहुत-से मनुष्य रणभूमिमें सो रहे थे

Transliteration

tad idaṁ naḥ kṛtaṁ ghoraṁ rakṣobhiḥ krūrakarmabhiḥ | iti lālapyamānāḥ samaśerate bahavo janāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Bencana yang mengerikan ini telah ditimpakan ke atas kita oleh para rākṣasa yang berbuat kejam.” Sambil meratap demikian, ramai manusia terbaring bertindih dan berselerak, tertidur di medan perang—lesu dan diliputi ketakutan malam.

Word by Word

तत्that (thing/state)

इदम्this

नःof us / our

कृतम्done; made

घोरम्terrible

रक्षोभिःby the rākṣasas/demons

क्रूरकर्मभिःby those of cruel deeds

इति"thus" (quotative)

लालप्यमानाःlamenting; wailing

समम्together; in a group

शेरतेlie; are lying

बहवःmany

जनाःpeople; men

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

rākṣasas

battlefield (raṇabhūmi)

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 underscores the ethical horror of war when it descends into night-terror and indiscriminate cruelty: human beings, overwhelmed and powerless, can only lament as violence strips them of agency and dignity—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning about adharma multiplying suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that many people on the battlefield, exhausted and stricken, are lying together while crying out that rākṣasas of cruel deeds have caused their dreadful plight—evoking the chaos and fear associated with the nocturnal slaughter in the Sauptika episode.