Shloka 58

भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas

Devanagari script

परिघैर्भिन्दिपालैश्व शतघ्नीभिक्ष मारिष । शरीरै: शस्त्रनिर्भिन्नै: समास्तीर्यत मेदिनी

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | parighair bhindipālaiś ca śataghnībhikṣa māriṣa | śarīraiḥ śastra-nirbhinnaiḥ samāstīryata medinī ||

Translation

桑阇耶说道：“噢，受敬之人啊，大地仿佛被铺成地毯——遍布沉重的棍槌（parigha）、bhindipāla 与 śataghnī，又遍布被兵刃撕裂洞穿的尸身。”

Word by Word

• परिघैः: with iron clubs/bars
• परिघैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिघ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• भिन्दिपालैः: with bhindipālas (javelin-like weapons)
• भिन्दिपालैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिन्दिपाल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शतघ्नीभिः: with śataghnīs (missile/engine of war)
• शतघ्नीभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतघ्नी
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• ख: indeed/also (particle; reading uncertain)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ख

• मारिष: O noble one / sir
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारिष
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शरीरैः: with bodies
• शरीरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शस्त्रनिर्भिन्नैः: torn/pierced by weapons
• शस्त्रनिर्भिन्नैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शस्त्रनिर्भिन्न
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• समास्तीर्यत: was strewn/covered
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्तॄ
• Form: Imperfect, 3, Singular, Atmanepada

• मेदिनी: the earth
• मेदिनी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• आर्य: O noble one
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्य
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• medinī (earth/ground)
• parigha (club/iron bar)
• bhindipāla (weapon)
• śataghnī (weapon/war-engine)
• śastra (weapons)
• śarīra (bodies)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse offers a stark ethical reminder: war’s visible outcome is not honor but a landscape covered with weapons and the dead. It implicitly critiques the human cost of conflict and evokes reflection on dharma, responsibility, and the consequences of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: the ground is littered with heavy weapons (parigha, bhindipāla, śataghnī) and with corpses mangled by arms, conveying the intensity and carnage of the fighting.