Shloka 45
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
प्रार्थयाना निपतिता: संक्षुण्णा वरवारणै: । अशोभन्त महाराज सपुष्पा इव किंशुका:,महाराज! कुछ वीर पुरुष अपना रथ भग्न हो जानेके कारण युद्धमें पृथ्वीपर गिरकर दूसरेका रथ माँग रहे थे, इतनेहीमें बड़े-बड़े हाथियोंके पैरोंसे वे कुचल गये। उस समय उनके रक्तरंजित शरीर फूले हुए पलाशके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
prārthayānā nipatitāḥ saṁkṣuṇṇā varavāraṇaiḥ | aśobhanta mahārāja sapuṣpā iva kiṁśukāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, some heroic men, having fallen to the ground when their chariots were shattered, were pleading for another chariot; even as they did so, they were crushed under the feet of great elephants. Then, their bodies—smeared with blood—appeared striking, like kiṁśuka trees in bloom.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh, indiscriminate nature of war: even brave warriors, reduced to pleading after losing their chariots, are crushed without pause. The poetic comparison to blossoming kiṁśuka trees intensifies the ethical tension—beauty of imagery set against the horror of violence—prompting reflection on the cost of kṣatriya warfare and the fragility of life amid dharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where some fighters, thrown down because their chariots are destroyed, beg for another chariot to rejoin combat. Before help arrives, large elephants trample them. Their blood-covered bodies are likened to red-flowering palāśa (kiṁśuka) trees.