Shloka 31
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
विचित्रमणिचित्रांश्व जातरूपपरिष्कृतान् । अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान् राड़कवान् पतितान् भुवि
vicitramaṇicitrāṃśva jātārūpapariṣkṛtān | aśvāstaraparistomān rāḍakāvān patitān bhuvi ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Auf dem Boden lagen viele Pferdedecken—Satteltücher, die man auf den Rücken der Rosse breitet—durchwirkt mit bunten Edelsteinen und mit Goldfäden geschmückt, gefertigt aus der Haut des Ruru-Hirsches. So zeigte das Schlachtfeld den Untergang königlicher Pracht: kostbarer Schmuck und Bequemlichkeit waren mit ihren Herren zu Boden gegangen.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly magnificence: even the most luxurious royal accoutrements—gold-embroidered, gem-studded coverings—end up scattered on the ground in war, reminding the listener that pride in wealth and display is unstable before death and violence.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, noting that many ornate saddle-cloths and horse-coverings, made of fine deer-hide and decorated with gems and gold, are lying fallen on the earth—evidence of the chaos and losses among warriors and their mounts.