न तत्र कर्णं न द्रोणं नार्जुनं न युधिष्ठिरम् ॥
न भीमसेनं न यमौ न पाञ्चाल्यं न सात्यकिम् ॥
न च दुःशासनं द्रौणिं न दुर्योधनसौबलौ ॥
न कृपं मद्रराजं वा कृतवर्माणम् एव च ॥
न चान्यान् नैव चात्मानं न क्षितिं न दिशस् तथा ॥
पश्याम राजन् संसक्तान् सैन्येन रजसावृतान् ॥
संभ्रान्ते तुमुले घोरे रजोमेघे समुत्थिते ॥
द्वितीयाम् इव संप्राप्ताम् अमन्यन्त निशां तदा ॥
na tatra karṇaṃ na droṇaṃ nārjunaṃ na yudhiṣṭhiram ||
na bhīmasenaṃ na yamau na pāñcālyaṃ na sātyakim ||
na ca duḥśāsanaṃ drauṇiṃ na duryodhanasaubalau ||
na kṛpaṃ madrarājaṃ vā kṛtavarmāṇam eva ca ||
na cānyān naiva cātmānaṃ na kṣitiṃ na diśas tathā ||
paśyāma rājan saṃsaktān sainyena rajasāvṛtān ||
saṃbhrānte tumule ghore rajomeghe samutthite ||
dvitīyām iva saṃprāptām amanyanta niśāṃ tadā ||
On the earth of the royal lineages, when great destruction had arisen — not to be seen there were Karna, nor Drona, nor Arjuna, nor Yudhishthira, nor Bhimasena, nor the twins, nor the Panchala prince, nor Satyaki, nor Duhshasana, nor Drauni, nor Duryodhana and Saubala, nor Kripa, nor the king of Madra and Kritavarman, nor others, nor even oneself, nor the earth, nor the directions of space — we saw, O king, all locked together, covered by the army's dust, in the bewildered, tumultuous, dreadful battle, when the cloud of dust had risen.
fec56462e703 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
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The dust conceals everyone — the greatest heroes, even sky and earth: warfare plunges the world into blindness. It is telling, this roll call of names vanishing into the dust: neither leaders nor the directions of space can be told apart. The verse teaches that frenzy erases every distinction and landmark: in the cloud of battle both heroes and bearings disappear; and where rage rules, a man loses sight of foe, friend, and even himself — an image of total darkening.