Shloka 62
अथ देहैर्नवैरन्यैर्दिक्षु सर्वास्वदृश्यत । उस समय उसे मरा हुआ मानकर कौरव-दलके प्रमुख वीर जोर-जोरसे गर्जना करने लगे। इतनेहीमें वह दूसरे बहुत-से नये-नये शरीर धारण करके सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें दिखायी देने लगा ।। ६१ $ ।। पुनश्चापि महाकाय: शतशीर्ष: शतोदर:
atha dehair navair anyair dikṣu sarvāsv adṛśyata | punaś cāpi mahākāyaḥ śataśīrṣaḥ śatodaraḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann wurde er abermals in allen Himmelsrichtungen gesehen, wie er andere, stets neue Leiber annahm. Die vornehmsten Helden des Kaurava-Heeres, ihn für erschlagen haltend, brüllten laut; doch in eben diesem Augenblick erschien er wieder und offenbarte viele neue Gestalten — von riesigem Wuchs, mit hundert Köpfen und hundert Bäuchen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how, in war, certainty based on appearances can be misleading: triumphal certainty (“he is dead”) collapses when reality shifts. Ethically, it cautions against pride and premature judgment, and it underscores the unsettling power of māyā-like manifestations that can distort perception and inflame violence.
The Kaurava champions believe the opponent has been killed and shout in exultation. Immediately, however, the figure is seen again in all directions, taking on many new bodies, described as gigantic and multi-formed (hundred-headed, hundred-bellied), creating shock and confusion on the battlefield.