Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विकृष्यमाणैर्जवनैस्तुरड़मै- हतेश्वरै राजरथै: सुकल्पितै: । मनुष्यमातड्ररथाश्वराशिभि- ्रूतं ब्रजन्तो बहुधा विचूर्णिता:,जिनके स्वामी (रथी) मारे गये हैं, राजाओंके उन सुसज्जित रथोंको, जब वेगशाली घोड़े खींचे लिये जाते थे और झुंड-के-झुंड मनुष्य, हाथी, साधारण रथ और अश्व भी भागे जा रहे थे, उस समय उनके द्वारा शीघ्रतापूर्वक भागनेवाले बहुत-से मनुष्य कुचलकर चूर- चूर हो गये हैं

Transliteration

vikṛṣyamāṇair javanaiḥ turaṅgamaiḥ hateśvarai rāja-rathaiḥ sukalpitaiḥ | manuṣya-mātaṅga-rathāśva-rāśibhiḥ drutaṃ vrajanto bahudhā vicūrṇitāḥ ||

Translation

Шалья сказал: Царские колесницы, искусно снаряжённые,—ныне лишённые своих хозяев, колесничих-воинов,—были увлекаемы стремительными конями. И когда толпы людей, слоны, простые повозки и кони в смятении обращались в бегство, многих, кто мчался в спешке, затоптали и раздавили в крошево. Эта картина обнажает нравственную цену битвы: когда падает руководство и рушится порядок, невинные и простые гибнут в давке страха.

Word by Word

विकृष्यमाणैःbeing dragged/pulled (by)

जवनैःswift (ones)

तुरङ्गमैःby horses

हत-ईश्वरैःwhose lords were slain

राज-रथैःby royal chariots

सुकल्पितैःwell-equipped, well-constructed

मनुष्य-मातङ्ग-रथ-अश्व-राशिभिःby masses of men, elephants, chariots and horses

द्रुतम्swiftly

व्रजन्तःgoing, fleeing

बहुधाin many ways / in many places

विचूर्णिताःcrushed, pulverized

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śalya

royal chariots (rāja-ratha)

horses (turaṅgama/aśva)

men (manuṣya)

elephants (mātaṅga)

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 highlights the collateral devastation of war: when commanders fall and discipline breaks, fear-driven flight causes indiscriminate harm. Ethically, it underscores that violence spreads suffering beyond intended targets, crushing even those merely trying to survive.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya describes a battlefield rout: masterless, well-equipped royal chariots are pulled away by swift horses, while crowds of men, elephants, chariots, and horses surge in hurried retreat. In the crush of movement, many are trampled and pulverized.