Shloka 38
तैरश्मचूर्णै्दीप्यद्धि: खद्योतानामिव व्रजै: । प्राय: सैन्यान्यहन्यन्त हाहाभूतानि मारिष
taiḥ śmacūrṇair dīpyadbhir khadyotānām iva vrajaiḥ | prāyaḥ sainyāny ahanyanta hāhābhūtāni māriṣa ||
Ó rei venerável! Por aquelas chuvas de fragmentos de pedra, ardentes como enxames de pirilampos, quase todas as tropas foram atingidas, e irromperam os brados de “Ai! Ai!”.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical horror of war: once violence escalates, harm spreads widely and indiscriminately, and the battlefield becomes dominated by collective anguish rather than righteous order.
Sañjaya describes blazing stone-fragments flying about like swarms of fireflies; these strike the troops on all sides, and the armies, badly hurt, erupt into cries of distress (‘hāhā’).