Shloka 38
तैरश्मचूर्णै्दीप्यद्धि: खद्योतानामिव व्रजै: । प्राय: सैन्यान्यहन्यन्त हाहाभूतानि मारिष
taiḥ śmacūrṇair dīpyadbhir khadyotānām iva vrajaiḥ | prāyaḥ sainyāny ahanyanta hāhābhūtāni māriṣa ||
O kagalang-galang na hari! Dahil sa nagliliyab na ulang ng mga piraso ng bato na parang mga pulutong ng alitaptap, halos buong hukbo ay napinsala, at sumiklab ang mga sigaw na, “Ay! Ay!”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical horror of war: once violence escalates, harm spreads widely and indiscriminately, and the battlefield becomes dominated by collective anguish rather than righteous order.
Sañjaya describes blazing stone-fragments flying about like swarms of fireflies; these strike the troops on all sides, and the armies, badly hurt, erupt into cries of distress (‘hāhā’).