संजय उवाच
गतपूर्वाह्णभूयिष्ठे तस्मिन्न् अहनि भारत ॥
जयं प्राप्तेषु हृष्टेषु पाण्डवेषु महात्मसु ॥
सर्वधर्मविशेषज्ञः पिता देवव्रतस् तव ॥
अभ्ययाज् जवनैर् अश्वैः पाण्डवानाम् अनीकिनीम् ॥
महत्या सेनया गुप्तस् तव पुत्रैश् च सर्वशः ॥
प्रावर्तत ततो युद्धं तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम् ॥
अस्माकं पाण्डवैः सार्धम् अनयात् तव भारत ॥
धनुषां कूजतां तत्र तलानां चाभिहन्यताम् ॥
महान् समभवच् छब्दो गिरीणाम् इव दीर्यताम् ॥
तिष्ठ स्थितो ऽस्मि विद्ध्य् एनं निवर्तस्व स्थिरो भव ॥
स्थितो ऽस्मि प्रहरस्वेति शब्दाः श्रूयन्त सर्वशः ॥
काञ्चनेषु तनुत्रेषु किरीटेषु ध्वजेषु च ॥
शिलानाम् इव शैलेषु पतितानाम् अभूत् स्वनः ॥
पतितान्य् उत्तमाङ्गानि बाहवश् च विभूषिताः ॥
व्यचेष्टन्त महीं प्राप्य शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः ॥
हृतोत्तमाङ्गाः के चित् तु तथैवोद्यतकार्मुकाः ॥
प्रगृहीतायुधाश् चापि तस्थुः पुरुषसत्तमाः ॥
प्रावर्तत महावेगा नदी रुधिरवाहिनी ॥
मातङ्गाङ्गशिलारौद्रा मांसशोणितकर्दमा ॥
वराश्वनरनागानां शरीरप्रभवा तदा ॥
परलोकार्णवमुखी गृध्रगोमायुमोदिनी ॥
न दृष्टं न श्रुतं चापि युद्धम् एतादृशं नृप ॥
यथा तव सुतानां च पाण्डवानां च भारत ॥
नासीद् रथपथस् तत्र योधैर् युधि निपातितैः ॥
गजैश् च पतितैर् नीलैर् गिरिशृङ्गैर् इवावृतम् ॥
विकीर्णैः कवचैश् चित्रैर् ध्वजैश् छत्रैश् च मारिष ॥
शुशुभे तद् रणस्थानं शरदीव नभस्तलम् ॥
विनिर्भिन्नाः शरैः के चिद् अन्तपीडाविकर्षिणः ॥
अभीताः समरे शत्रून् अभ्यधावन्त दंशिताः ॥
तात भ्रातः सखे बन्धो वयस्य मम मातुल ॥
मा मां परित्यजेत्य् अन्ये चुक्रुशुः पतिता रणे ॥
आधावाभ्येहि मा गच्छ किं भीतो ऽसि क्व यास्यसि ॥
स्थितो ऽहं समरे मा भैर् इति चान्ये विचुक्रुशुः ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
gatapūrvāhṇabhūyiṣṭhe tasminn ahani bhārata ||
jayaṃ prāpteṣu hṛṣṭeṣu pāṇḍaveṣu mahātmasu ||
sarvadharmaviśeṣajñaḥ pitā devavratas tava ||
abhyayāj javanair aśvaiḥ pāṇḍavānām anīkinīm ||
mahatyā senayā guptas tava putraiś ca sarvaśaḥ ||
prāvartata tato yuddhaṃ tumulaṃ lomaharṣaṇam ||
asmākaṃ pāṇḍavaiḥ sārdham anayāt tava bhārata ||
dhanuṣāṃ kūjatāṃ tatra talānāṃ cābhihanyatām ||
mahān samabhavac chabdo girīṇām iva dīryatām ||
tiṣṭha sthito 'smi viddhy enaṃ nivartasva sthiro bhava ||
sthito 'smi praharasveti śabdāḥ śrūyanta sarvaśaḥ ||
kāñcaneṣu tanutreṣu kirīṭeṣu dhvajeṣu ca ||
śilānām iva śaileṣu patitānām abhūt svanaḥ ||
patitāny uttamāṅgāni bāhavaś ca vibhūṣitāḥ ||
vyaceṣṭanta mahīṃ prāpya śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
hṛtottamāṅgāḥ ke cit tu tathaivodyatakārmukāḥ ||
pragṛhītāyudhāś cāpi tasthuḥ puruṣasattamāḥ ||
prāvartata mahāvegā nadī rudhiravāhinī ||
mātaṅgāṅgaśilāraudrā māṃsaśoṇitakardamā ||
varāśvanaranāgānāṃ śarīraprabhavā tadā ||
paralokārṇavamukhī gṛdhragomāyumodinī ||
na dṛṣṭaṃ na śrutaṃ cāpi yuddham etādṛśaṃ nṛpa ||
yathā tava sutānāṃ ca pāṇḍavānāṃ ca bhārata ||
nāsīd rathapathas tatra yodhair yudhi nipātitaiḥ ||
gajaiś ca patitair nīlair giriśṛṅgair ivāvṛtam ||
vikīrṇaiḥ kavacaiś citrair dhvajaiś chatraiś ca māriṣa ||
śuśubhe tad raṇasthānaṃ śaradīva nabhastalam ||
vinirbhinnāḥ śaraiḥ ke cid antapīḍāvikarṣiṇaḥ ||
abhītāḥ samare śatrūn abhyadhāvanta daṃśitāḥ ||
tāta bhrātaḥ sakhe bandho vayasya mama mātula ||
mā māṃ parityajety anye cukruśuḥ patitā raṇe ||
ādhāvābhyehi mā gaccha kiṃ bhīto 'si kva yāsyasi ||
sthito 'haṃ samare mā bhair iti cānye vicukruśuḥ ||
Sanjaya said: "On that day, O Bharata, when most of the morning had already passed and the great-souled Pandavas were rejoicing in the success they had won, your father Devavrata, knower of every fine point of dharma, advanced on swift horses against the army of the Pandavas. He was shielded by a great host, and your sons surrounded him on every side. Then, through your recklessness, O Bharata, a tumultuous, hair-raising battle broke out between our side and the Pandavas. The roar of twanging bows and slapping bowstrings was like the crash of mountains splitting apart. On every side were heard the cries: 'Stand!' 'I am standing!' 'Strike him!' 'Turn back!' 'Be firm!' 'Strike, I am here!' Blows upon golden armor, helmets, and banners resounded like stones falling upon cliffs. Severed heads and bejeweled arms, by the hundreds and thousands, twitched after falling to the ground; some of the finest warriors stood headless, still holding their bows aloft with weapons in hand. A swift, blood-carrying river surged forth — dreadful with the bodies of elephants, thick with the mire of flesh and blood, born from the bodies of the finest horses, men, and elephants, flowing toward the ocean of the next world and delighting vultures and jackals. O king, never had such a battle been seen or heard of as that between your sons and the Pandavas, O Bharata. There was no path left for chariots there, blocked as it was, as if by mountain peaks, with warriors and dark elephants fallen in the fighting. Scattered bright armor, banners, and parasols made that battlefield shine like the autumn sky, O venerable one. Some, pierced through by arrows that dragged out their entrails, still charged fearlessly at the enemy, clad in armor; others, fallen in the fight, cried out: 'Father! Brother! Friend! Kinsman! Companion! My uncle! Do not abandon me!' Still others shouted: 'Run! Come here! Do not go! Why are you afraid? Where will you flee? I stand my ground in battle — do not fear!'"
78382ae1c09f · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:22:45 PM UTC
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Sanjaya does not hide the cause of the slaughter: he says plainly that this battle was brought on by Dhritarashtra's recklessness. The picture of the battlefield shows the price of political blindness: beautiful banners and golden armor instantly become ornaments of a river of blood.