Shloka 77

Devanagari script

सैन्यानां युध्यमानानां निध्नतामितरेतरम्‌ । असौम्यरूपा पृथिवी शोणिताक्ताभवत्‌ तदा,उस समय एक-दूसरेको मारनेवाले युद्धपरायण सैनिकोंके रक्तसे रंजित हो वहाँकी सारी पृथ्वी भयानक हो गयी थी

Transliteration

sainyānāṃ yudhyamānānāṃ nidhnatām itaretaram | asaumyarūpā pṛthivī śoṇitāktābhavat tadā ||

Translation

Wika ni Sañjaya: Habang ang mga hukbo, nakatuon sa digmaan, ay nagbubuwal at pumapatay sa isa’t isa, ang lupa noon—nababalutan ng dugo—ay nagkaroon ng anyong mabagsik at masamang pangitain.

Word by Word

सैन्यानाम्of the armies / of the troops

युध्यमानानाम्of those fighting

निघ्नताम्of those striking down / killing

इतरेतरम्one another (mutually)

असौम्यरूपाhaving a dreadful form

पृथिवीthe earth

शोणिताक्ताsmeared with blood

अभवत्became / was

तदाthen

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

armies (sainyāni)

earth (pṛthivī)

blood (śoṇita)

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 stark ethical cost of warfare: when people kill one another, the very earth appears defiled and ominous. It invites reflection on how even duty-driven combat carries visible and moral consequences, emphasizing the gravity of हिंसा (violence) and the need for discernment in dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the intensity of the battle: soldiers on both sides are mutually slaughtering each other, and the ground is drenched with blood, making the battlefield look terrifying and inauspicious.