Mahabharata 7.161.39 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 161, Shloka 39
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
तत्र तत्राभ्यवेक्षाम संघान् कर्णेन ताडितान् । कर्णके बाणोंकी चोट खाकर मरनेवाले घोड़ों, हाथियों और रथियोंके झुंड-के-झुंड हमने वहाँ देखे थे ।। शिरोभि: पतितै राजन् बाहुभिश्न समन्ततः
tatra tatrābhyavekṣāma saṅghān karṇena tāḍitān | karṇake bāṇānāṃ coṭaṃ khātvā marṇavāle ghoḍe, hāthī aur rathiyoṃ ke jhuṇḍa-ke-jhuṇḍa hamne vahāṃ dekhe the || śirobhiḥ patitai rājān bāhubhiś ca samantataḥ ||
সেখানে-সেখানে আমরা কর্ণের আঘাতে বিধ্বস্ত যোদ্ধাদের দল-দল দেখেছিলাম। হে রাজন, চারদিকে পতিত মস্তক ও ছিন্ন বাহুতে ভূমি আচ্ছন্ন ছিল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical weight of war: even when performed under kṣatriya-duty, violence yields widespread suffering and bodily destruction, reminding the listener of impermanence and the heavy consequences of martial prowess.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra what he ‘sees’ on the battlefield: Karna’s arrows have devastated formations, leaving heaps of dying horses, elephants, and chariot-fighters, with severed heads and arms scattered all around.
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