Shloka 41
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
कण्ठसूत्रैरड्रदैश्व निष्कैरपि च सप्रभै: । अन्यैश्षाभरणैश्षित्रैर्भाति भारत मेदिनी,भारत! चारों ओर गिरे हुए कवच, ढाल, हार, कुण्डलयुक्त मस्तक, पगड़ी, मुकुट, माला, चूड़ामणि, वस्त्र, कण्ठसूत्र, बाजूबंद, चमकीले निष्क एवं अन्यान्य विचित्र आभूषणोंसे इस रणभूमिकी बड़ी शोभा हो रही है
kaṇṭhasūtrair āḍhyaiś ca niṣkair api ca saprabhaiḥ | anyaiś cābharaṇaiś citrair bhāti bhārata medinī ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “O Bhārata, the earth (this battlefield) shines with splendor, adorned on all sides by fallen neck-threads, rich and radiant niṣkas, and many other varied ornaments. Even amid slaughter, the field is made visually resplendent by the scattered emblems of warriors—signs of status and pride now lying abandoned—quietly revealing the cost and vanity of war.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark contrast between worldly splendor and human mortality: ornaments that once signified honor and power now lie scattered, implying the impermanence of status and the heavy ethical cost of war.
Kṛṣṇa describes the battlefield’s appearance: the ground is strewn with fallen ornaments—neck-threads, shining niṣkas, and other decorations—so that the earth seems to ‘shine’ even amid the devastation.