The Battlefield at Dusk

Verse 1 (7.50.1)

वयं तु प्रवरं हत्वा तेषां तैः शरपीडिताः । निवेशायाभ्युपायामः सायाह्ने रुधिरोक्षिताः ॥

vayaṃ tu pravaraṃ hatvā teṣāṃ taiḥ śarapīḍitāḥ | niveśāyābhyupāyāmaḥ sāyāhne rudhirokṣitāḥ

Having slain their foremost warrior, but ourselves stricken by their arrows and smeared with blood, we were going toward our camp in the evening.

Verse 2 (7.50.2)

निरीक्षमाणास्तु वयं परे चायोधनं शनैः । अपयाता महाराज ग्लानिं प्राप्ता विचेतसः ॥

nirīkṣamāṇāstu vayaṃ pare cāyodhanaṃ śanaiḥ | apayātā mahārāja glāniṃ prāptā vicetasaḥ

Looking slowly back at the enemy and the battlefield, we withdrew, O great king, overcome with dejection and bewildered.

Verse 3 (7.50.3)

ततो निशाया दिवसस्य चाशिवः । शिवारुतैः सन्धिरवर्तताद्भुतः । कुशेशयापीडनिभे दिवाकरे । विलम्बमानेऽस्तमुपेत्य पर्वतम् ॥

tato niśāyā divasasya cāśivaḥ | śivārutaiḥ sandhiravartatādbhutaḥ | kuśeśayāpīḍanibhe divākare | vilambamāne'stamupetya parvatam

Then the twilight between day and night came, inauspicious and uncanny, loud with the howling of jackals, while the sun, which looked like a garland of lotuses, lingered as it reached the mountain of its setting.

Verse 4 (7.50.4)

वरासिशक्त्यृष्टिवरूथचर्मणां । विभूषणानां च समाक्षिपन्प्रभाः । दिवं च भूमिं च समानयन्निव । प्रियां तनुं भानुरुपैति पावकम् ॥

varāsiśaktyṛṣṭivarūthacarmaṇāṃ | vibhūṣaṇānāṃ ca samākṣipanprabhāḥ | divaṃ ca bhūmiṃ ca samānayanniva | priyāṃ tanuṃ bhānurupaiti pāvakam

Drawing in the gleam of the fine swords, spears, javelins, armour, shields and ornaments, and seeming to bring heaven and earth together, the sun went to the fire, its beloved body.

Verse 5 (7.50.5)

महाभ्रकूटाचलशृङ्गसन्निभैर् । गजैरनेकैरिव वज्रपातितैः । सवैजयन्त्यङ्कुशवर्मयन्तृभिर् । निपातितैर्नष्टगतिश्चिता क्षितिः ॥

mahābhrakūṭācalaśṛṅgasannibhair | gajairanekairiva vajrapātitaiḥ | savaijayantyaṅkuśavarmayantṛbhir | nipātitairnaṣṭagatiścitā kṣitiḥ

The earth lay heaped and impassable, covered with many elephants like the peaks of mighty cloud-crowned mountains, as if struck down by thunderbolts, brought down with their banners, goads, armour and drivers.

Note on the text: Removed the stray wiki marks (--) at the end of the split lines and moved the sandhi र् of each split word to the end of its line.

Verse 6 (7.50.6)

हतेश्वरैश्चूर्णितचक्रकूबरैर् । हताश्वसूतैर्विपताककेतुभिः । महारथैर्भूः शुशुभे विचूर्णितैः । पुरैरिवामित्रहतैर्नराधिप ॥

hateśvaraiścūrṇitacakrakūbarair | hatāśvasūtairvipatākaketubhiḥ | mahārathairbhūḥ śuśubhe vicūrṇitaiḥ | purairivāmitrahatairnarādhipa

The earth was resplendent with great chariots broken to pieces — their lords slain, their wheels and yoke-poles smashed, their horses and charioteers killed, their banners and flags torn — like cities ruined by enemies, O ruler of men.

Note on the text: Removed the stray wiki marks (--) at the end of the split lines and moved the sandhi र् of each split word to the end of its line.

Verse 7 (7.50.7)

रथाश्वबृन्दैः सहसादिभिर्हतैः । प्रविद्धभाण्डाभरणैः पृथग्विधैः । निरस्तजिह्वादशनान्त्रलोचनैर् । धरा बभौ घोरविरूपदर्शना ॥

rathāśvabṛndaiḥ sahasādibhirhataiḥ | praviddhabhāṇḍābharaṇaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ | nirastajihvādaśanāntralocanair | dharā babhau ghoravirūpadarśanā

The earth looked dreadful and hideous to behold, with masses of chariots and horses slain together with their riders, with equipment and ornaments of every kind flung about, and with tongues, teeth, entrails and eyes thrown out.

Note on the text: Removed the stray wiki marks (--) at the end of the split lines and moved the sandhi र् of each split word to the end of its line.

Verse 8 (7.50.8)

प्रविद्धवर्माभरणाम्बरायुधा । विपन्नहस्त्यश्वरथानुगा नराः । महार्हशय्यास्तरणोचितास्तदा । क्षितावनाथा इव शेरते हताः ॥

praviddhavarmābharaṇāmbarāyudhā | vipannahastyaśvarathānugā narāḥ | mahārhaśayyāstaraṇocitāstadā | kṣitāvanāthā iva śerate hatāḥ

Men lay slain, their armour, ornaments, garments and weapons scattered, their elephants, horses, chariots and followers destroyed — men used to costly beds and coverlets, now sleeping on the ground as if they had no protector.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रविद्धवर्माभणाम्बरायुधा → प्रविद्धवर्माभरणाम्बरायुधा (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped ra; the critical edition reads praviddhavarmābharaṇā).

Verse 9 (7.50.9)

अतीव हृष्टाः श्वशृगालवायसा । बकाः सुपर्णाश्च वृकास्तरक्षवः । वयांस्यसृक्पान्यथ रक्षसां गणाः । पिशाचसङ्घाश्च सुदारुणा रणे ॥

atīva hṛṣṭāḥ śvaśṛgālavāyasā | bakāḥ suparṇāśca vṛkāstarakṣavaḥ | vayāṃsyasṛkpānyatha rakṣasāṃ gaṇāḥ | piśācasaṅghāśca sudāruṇā raṇe

Dogs, jackals and crows, cranes, eagles, wolves and hyenas, blood-drinking birds, hosts of rakshasas, and bands of terrible pishachas were exceedingly delighted on the battlefield.

Verse 10 (7.50.10)

त्वचो विनिर्भिद्य पिबन्वसामसृक् । तथैव मज्जाः पिशितानि चाश्नुवन् । वपां विलुम्पन्ति हसन्ति गान्ति च । प्रकर्षमाणाः कुणपान्यनेकशः ॥

tvaco vinirbhidya pibanvasāmasṛk | tathaiva majjāḥ piśitāni cāśnuvan | vapāṃ vilumpanti hasanti gānti ca | prakarṣamāṇāḥ kuṇapānyanekaśaḥ

Tearing open the skin, they drank the fat and blood and likewise ate the marrow and flesh; they plundered the fat, laughed and sang, dragging corpses about in many ways.

Verse 11 (7.50.11)

शरीरसङ्घाटवहा ह्यसृग्जला । रथोडुपा कुञ्जरशैलसङ्कटा । मनुष्यशीर्षोपलमांसकर्दमा । प्रविद्धनानाविधशस्त्रमालिनी ॥

śarīrasaṅghāṭavahā hyasṛgjalā | rathoḍupā kuñjaraśailasaṅkaṭā | manuṣyaśīrṣopalamāṃsakardamā | praviddhanānāvidhaśastramālinī

Bearing heaps of bodies, with blood for its water, with chariots for boats, choked by elephants like rocks, with human heads for stones and flesh for mud, garlanded with weapons of many kinds that had been flung down —

Verse 12 (7.50.12)

भयावहा वैतरणीव दुस्तरा । प्रवर्तिता योधवरैस्तदा नदी । उवाह मध्येन रणाजिरे भृशं । भयावहा दीनमृतप्रवाहिनी ॥

bhayāvahā vaitaraṇīva dustarā | pravartitā yodhavaraistadā nadī | uvāha madhyena raṇājire bhṛśaṃ | bhayāvahā dīnamṛtapravāhinī

a river as dreadful and as hard to cross as the Vaitarani, brought into being by the foremost warriors, flowed fearfully right across the battlefield, bearing along the wretched and the dead.

Verse 13 (7.50.13)

पिबन्ति च स्नान्ति च यत्र दुर्दृशाः । पिशाचसङ्घास्तु नदन्ति भैरवाः । सुनन्दिताः प्राणभृतां क्षयंकराः । समानभक्षाः श्वसृगालपक्षिणः ॥

pibanti ca snānti ca yatra durdṛśāḥ | piśācasaṅghāstu nadanti bhairavāḥ | sunanditāḥ prāṇabhṛtāṃ kṣayaṃkarāḥ | samānabhakṣāḥ śvasṛgālapakṣiṇaḥ

There hideous bands of pishachas, dreadful and roaring, destroyers of living beings, drank and bathed in their delight, and dogs, jackals and birds shared the same fare.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रणभृतां → प्राणभृतां (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped ā-sign; the critical edition reads prāṇabhṛtām).

Verse 14 (7.50.14)

तथा तदायोधनमुग्रदर्शनं । निशामुखे पितृपतिराष्ट्रवर्धनम् । निरीक्षमाणाः शनकैर्जहुर्नराः । समुत्थिता नृत्तकबन्धसङ्कुलम् ॥

tathā tadāyodhanamugradarśanaṃ | niśāmukhe pitṛpatirāṣṭravardhanam | nirīkṣamāṇāḥ śanakairjahurnarāḥ | samutthitā nṛttakabandhasaṅkulam

Looking at that battlefield, terrible to behold at the fall of night, as if enlarging the realm of the Lord of the Fathers, crowded with risen, dancing headless trunks, the men slowly departed.

Note on the text: Corrected निरीक्षमाणः → निरीक्षमाणाः (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped ā-sign; the plural agrees with नराः, and the critical edition reads nirīkṣamāṇāḥ).

Verse 15 (7.50.15)

अपेतविध्वस्तमहार्हभूषणं । निपातितं शक्रसमं महाबलम् । रणेऽभिमन्युं ददृशुस्तदा जना । व्यपोढहव्यं सदसीव पावकम् ॥

apetavidhvastamahārhabhūṣaṇaṃ | nipātitaṃ śakrasamaṃ mahābalam | raṇe'bhimanyuṃ dadṛśustadā janā | vyapoḍhahavyaṃ sadasīva pāvakam

Then the people beheld Abhimanyu in the battle, felled, his costly ornaments shattered and scattered, great in strength and equal to Shakra, like a sacrificial fire in the assembly with its oblation taken away.