Shloka 346

Devanagari script

पजञ्चविंशतिसाहस्रा: कालमार्छन्‌ पदातय: । बहुतोंके रथ नष्ट हो गये और कितने ही बाणोंकी मारसे अत्यन्त घायल हो गये। इस प्रकार पचीस हजार पैदल सैनिक कालके गालमें चले गये

Transliteration

pañcaviṁśatisāhasrāḥ kālam ārchan padātayaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Hai mươi lăm nghìn bộ binh đã đi vào cõi chết. Nhiều chiến xa bị phá hủy, và nhiều chiến sĩ bị thương nặng bởi những loạt tên dồn dập—thế là vô số người bị nuốt chửng bởi bạo lực không ngừng của chiến tranh.

Word by Word

• पञ्चविंशतिसाहस्राः: twenty-five thousand (in number)
• पञ्चविंशतिसाहस्राः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चविंशति-साहस्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कालम्: death; Time (as death)
• कालम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आर्च्छन्: reached; went to
• Type: Verb
• Root: ऋ (आ-ऋच्छति)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• पदातयः: foot-soldiers; infantrymen
• पदातयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदाति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kāla (Death/Time)
• padātayaḥ (infantry)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical vision that war, once unleashed, becomes governed by Kāla (Time/Death), consuming masses indiscriminately; it warns of the catastrophic human cost that follows from adharma-driven conflict and unchecked martial fury.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that in the ongoing battle a huge number of infantry—twenty-five thousand—have been killed, with many chariots destroyed and many fighters severely wounded by arrows, conveying the scale and intensity of the slaughter.