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

三阇耶说道：噢人中之主，大地变得难以通行——化作血肉与鲜血的泥沼。阿周那的战车挟怒奔进，其所经之处的地面被血肉污泥塞满，以致在那里行走移动皆成不可能。

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.