Shloka 42
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
अनुकर्षरुपासड्रैः पताकाभिर्ध्वजैस्तथा । उपस्करैरधिष्ठानैरीषादण्डकबन्धुरै:,अपदविद्धैर्बभौ भूमिगग्रहैद्यौरिव शारदी । बहुत-से अनुकर्ष, उपासंग, पताका, ध्वज, सजावटकी सामग्री, बैठक, ईषादण्ड, बन्धनरज्जु, टूटे-फ़ूटे पहिये, विचित्र धुरे, नाना प्रकारके जुए, जोत, लगाम, धनुष-बाण, हाथीकी रंगीन झूल, हाथीकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले गलीचे, परिघ, अंकुश, शक्ति, भिन्दिपाल, तरकश, शूल, फरसे प्रास, तोमर, कुन्त, डंडे, शतघ्नी, भुशुण्डी, खड्ग, परशु, मुसल, मुद्गर, गदा, कुणप, सोनेके चाबुक, गजराजोंके घण्टे, नाना प्रकारके हौदे और जीन, माला, भाँति-भाँतिके अलंकार तथा बहुमूल्य वस्त्र रणभूमिमें सब ओर बिखरे पड़े हैं। भरतश्रेष्ठ! इनके द्वारा यह भूमि नक्षत्रोंद्वारा शरद-ऋतुके आकाशकी भाँति सुशोभित हो रही है
anukarṣarūpāsaṅgaiḥ patākābhir dhvajais tathā | upaskarair adhiṣṭhānair īṣādaṇḍaka-bandhuraiḥ, apadaviddhair babhau bhūmir gaganair dyaur iva śāradī ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “The earth shone resplendent, strewn with the fittings and traces of chariots, with banners and standards, with various implements and seats, with yoke-poles and binding-ropes, and with wheels and parts broken and cast down. Thus the battlefield, littered with the scattered apparatus of war, appeared like the clear autumn sky adorned with constellations.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the paradox of war: what looks ‘beautiful’ from afar is actually the debris of destruction. By likening the battlefield’s scattered gear to stars in an autumn sky, the text invites ethical reflection on the cost of conflict and the impermanence of martial ‘glory’.
Kṛṣṇa describes the battlefield after intense fighting. The ground is covered with broken and discarded chariot equipment—banners, standards, seats, poles, ropes, and other fittings—so densely that the earth seems ornamented, like the clear autumn sky filled with constellations.