Shloka 50
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
हस्तिदन्तत्सरून् खड्गाज्जातरूपपरिष्कृतान् | चर्माणि चापविद्धानि रुक्मचित्राणि धन्विनाम्,हमने देखा कि रणभूमिमें धनुर्धर वीरोंकी तलवारें और ढालें फेंकी पड़ी हैं। तलवारोंमें हाथीके दाँतकी मूँठें लगी थीं और उनमें यथास्थान सुवर्ण जड़ा हुआ था। इसी प्रकार ढालोंमें सुवर्णमय विचित्र तारक चिह्न दिखायी देते थे
hastidantatsarūn khaḍgājjātarūpapariṣkṛtān | carmāṇi cāpaviddhāni rukmacitrāṇi dhanvinām ||
Sañjaya said: “We saw on the battlefield the swords of bowmen lying cast aside—swords fitted with handles of elephant-ivory and adorned with inlaid gold. Likewise, their shields too were seen thrown away, decorated with gold and patterned with ornate designs.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark contrast between royal splendor and the ruin of war: even exquisitely crafted weapons and shields—symbols of power and status—end up discarded on the battlefield, pointing to the fragility of worldly grandeur amid violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what is seen on the field: archers’ swords with ivory hilts and gold ornamentation, and their decorated shields, lie thrown down—an image of the battle’s intensity and the scattering of arms.