Shloka 176

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

Devanagari script

अगम्यरूपा पृथिवी मांसशोणितकर्दमा | प्रजानाथ! कुपित हुए अर्जुनके रथके मार्गकी भूमिपर मांस और रक्तकी कीच जम जानेके कारण वहाँ चलना-फिरना असम्भव हो गया

Transliteration

agamyārūpā pṛthivī māṃsaśoṇitakardamā | prajānātha! kupite 'rjunasya rathasya mārgabhūmau māṃsa-rakta-kīcakaṃ saṃjajñe, tena tatra gamanāgamanam asambhavam abhavat |

Translation

Sañjaya thưa: Ôi chúa tể loài người, mặt đất trở nên không thể qua lại—biến thành bùn lầy của thịt và máu. Khi chiến xa của Arjuna cuồng nộ lao đi, nền đất dọc theo vệt bánh xe bị nghẹt đặc bởi thứ bùn nhão của thịt và huyết, khiến việc đi lại nơi ấy trở thành bất khả.

Word by Word

• अगम्यरूपा: of impassable form; impossible to traverse
• अगम्यरूपा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अगम्यरूप (अगम्य + रूप)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पृथिवी: the earth/ground
• पृथिवी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मांसशोणितकर्दमा: having mire of flesh and blood; flesh-and-blood-muddy
• मांसशोणितकर्दमा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मांसशोणितकर्दम (मांस + शोणित + कर्दम)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Arjuna
• Dhritarashtra
• Arjuna's chariot
• Earth/ground (pṛthivī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: violence does not merely defeat opponents—it desecrates the world itself, turning the very ground into a symbol of collective suffering and moral pollution.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the battlefield ground along Arjuna’s chariot-route has become so thick with flesh-and-blood mire that it is impossible to move there, emphasizing the horrific intensity of the fighting.