Shloka 14

Devanagari script

भुजैश्छिन्नैर्महाराज नागराजकरोपमै: । साड्दै: सतनुत्रैश्न सासिप्रासपरश्चधै:

Transliteration

bhujaiś chinnaiḥ mahārāja nāgarāja-karopamaiḥ | sāḍgaiḥ sa-tanūtraiś ca sa-asi-prāsa-paraśvadhaiḥ ||

Translation

సంజయుడు పలికెను—మహారాజా! రణభూమి నాగరాజుని భుజాల వంటి బలమైన ఛిన్నభుజాలతో నిండిపోయెను; అలాగే కవచాలు, ఢాళాలు, ఖడ్గాలు, ప్రాసాలు, పరశువులు వంటి ఆయుధాలతో కూడి విస్తరించెను।

Word by Word

भुजैःwith arms

छिन्नैःsevered, cut off

महा-राजO great king

नाग-राज-कर-उपमैःresembling the hands of the king of serpents

स-आर्द्रैःwith wet/bloody (ones)

स-तनुत्रैःwith arm-guards/armor (tanūtra)

स-आसि-प्रास-परश्वधैःwith swords, spears, and axes

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Nāgarāja (serpent-king, as a simile)

swords

shields/defensive gear

spears

axes

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 grim consequence of war: even heroic strength (symbolized by powerful arms and weapons) ends as broken remnants. It implicitly cautions that unchecked hostility and rivalry lead to widespread destruction, challenging rulers to weigh dharma and responsibility against the lure of victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the horrific state of the battlefield, describing severed arms and scattered weapons—swords, shields, spears, and axes—emphasizing the intensity and carnage of the fighting in the Śalya Parva.