Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 30

शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्

Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally

Devanagari script

उत्थितानि कबन्धानि समदृश्यन्त सर्वश:

Transliteration

utthitāni kabandhāni samadṛśyanta sarvaśaḥ

Translation

Wika ni Sañjaya: Sa magkabilang panig, nakita ang mga katawang walang ulo na waring bumabangon—isang kasindak-sindak na tanawin ng pagkawasak sa digmaan, kung saan ang dahas ay ginagawang mga labi na lamang ang dating may buhay na katawan.

Word by Word

• उत्थितानि: risen, standing up
• उत्थितानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्थित (उत्-स्था धातु, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• कबन्धानि: headless trunks
• कबन्धानि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कबन्ध
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• समदृश्यन्त: were seen, appeared
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (सम्-√दृश्)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• सर्वशः: everywhere, on all sides
• सर्वशः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशस्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• kabandha (headless trunks)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim consequence of adharma-driven violence: war dehumanizes and leaves only mutilation and loss, prompting reflection on the cost of conflict and the fragility of embodied life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the terrifying battlefield scene where headless bodies are seen standing or rising everywhere, emphasizing the scale and horror of the slaughter.