Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 55
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
बहुतेरे विजयाभिलाषी तथा अपनेको शूरवीर माननेवाले पुरुष जहाँ-तहाँ पृथ्वीपर पड़े दिखायी देते थे ।।
raktokṣitaiś chinnabhujair avakṛṣṭaśiroruḥaiḥ | vyadṛśyata mahī kīrṇā śataśaśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The earth appeared strewn everywhere with blood-soaked bodies—hundreds and then thousands—men whose arms had been severed and whose hair had been dragged out. The battlefield, once a ground for heroic ambition, now stood as a stark witness to the ruin that war brings upon those who sought victory and called themselves valiant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: the pursuit of victory and self-proclaimed heroism culminates in widespread suffering and bodily ruin, reminding the listener that martial glory is inseparable from grave human loss.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the horrific दृश्य of the battlefield—earth covered with countless slain and mutilated warriors—emphasizing the scale of destruction in the Shalya Parva fighting.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.