Mahabharata 7.189.11 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 189, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

भूमावश्रूयत महांस्तदा55सीत्‌ कृपणं महत्‌ | पततां पात्यमानानां पत्त्यश्वरथदन्तिनाम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | bhūmāv aśrūyata mahāṁs tadā śabdaḥ kṛpaṇo mahān | patatāṁ pātyamānānāṁ patty-aśva-ratha-dantinām ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Então, sobre a terra, ouviu-se um bramido vasto e pungente. Era o grande clamor desamparado de infantes, cavalos, cocheiros e elefantes—uns caindo, outros sendo derrubados—revelando a miséria que a guerra impõe quando os corpos são despedaçados e as vidas são forçadas à ruína.

Word by Word

• भूमौ: on the ground
• भूमौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• अश्रूयत: was heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Passive (Karmani), Third, Singular

• महान्: great
• महान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

• कृपणम्: piteous, wretched
• कृपणम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृपण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पतताम्: of those falling
• Type: Verb
• Root: पतत्
• Form: Present active participle (Śatṛ), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• पात्यमानानाम्: of those being made to fall / being felled
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Present passive participle (Śānac/Karmani), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• पत्त्य: of foot-soldiers
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्ति
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अश्व: of horses
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• रथ: of chariots / chariot-warriors
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• दन्तिनाम्: of elephants / elephant-warriors
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• bhūmi (earth/ground)
• patti (infantry)
• aśva (horses)
• ratha (chariots)
• dantin (elephants)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the ethical cost of warfare: beyond strategy and victory, battle produces a 'kṛpaṇa'—a pitiable, helpless—outcry. It invites reflection on compassion and the human (and animal) suffering that accompanies violence, even within a dharma-framed conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield soundscape: a huge, mournful roar rises from those falling and being felled—infantry, horses, chariots, and elephants—capturing the chaos and misery of the ongoing slaughter.