Shloka 57
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
समरे पतितैश्वैव शक््त्यृष्टिशरतोमरै: । निस्त्रिंशै: पट्टिशै: प्रासैरयस्कुन्तै: परश्वथै:,आर्य! समरभूमिमें गिरे हुए बाण, तोमर, शक्ति, ऋष्टि, खड्ग, पट्टिश, प्रास, लोहेके भाले, फरसे, परिघ, भिन्दिपाल तथा शतघ्नी (तोप)--इन अस्त्र-शस्त्रों तथा इनके द्वारा विदीर्ण हुए मृत शरीरोंसे सारी पृथ्वी पट गयी थी
saṃare patitaiś caiva śakty-ṛṣṭi-śara-tomaraiḥ | nistriṃśaiḥ paṭṭiśaiḥ prāsair ayas-kuntaiḥ paraśvathaiḥ, ārya |
Sañjaya said: O noble one, the battlefield was strewn with weapons that had fallen in the fighting—spears and lances, arrows and javelins, swords, battle-axes, pikes, iron-tipped lances, and other arms. Along with these, the earth was covered with lifeless bodies torn and pierced by those missiles and blades, revealing the grim moral cost of war even amid the warriors’ adherence to their chosen duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark reality of war: even when fought under the banner of duty, it results in widespread destruction—fallen weapons and mutilated bodies covering the earth—inviting reflection on the ethical weight and human cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scene on the battlefield: numerous weapons lie scattered, and the ground is covered with corpses pierced and torn by those arms, emphasizing the intensity of the fighting.