Shloka 473
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
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
apadaviddhair babhau bhūmir gagrahair dyaur iva śāradī | bahu-śo'nukarṣopāsaṅga-patākā-dhvaja-sajāvaṭa-sāmagrī-niṣadya-īṣā-daṇḍa-bandhana-rajjūnām | bhagna-bhinnacakra-vicitra-dhurā-nānā-yuga-yota-lagāma-dhanur-bāṇa-hastiraṅga-jhūla-hastipṛṣṭha-śayyā-galīca-parighāṅkuśa-śakti-bhindipāla-tūṇīra-śūla-phaṛśa-prāsa-tomara-kunta-daṇḍa-śataghnī-bhuśuṇḍī-khaḍga-paraśu-musala-mudgara-gadā-kuṇapa-hiraṇmaya-cābuka-gajarāja-ghaṇṭā-nānā-hauda-jīna-mālā-nānālaṅkāra-bahumūlya-vastrāṇi raṇabhūmau sarvataḥ prakīrṇāni | bharataśreṣṭha! ebhir iyaṃ bhūmir nakṣatrair iva śarad-ṛtāv ākāśaṃ suśobhitā bhavati ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “The battlefield shone with countless scattered implements and weapons, as the autumn sky shines with stars. Everywhere lay drag-ropes and harness-gear, banners and standards, fittings and ornaments, seats and pole-shafts, binding cords, broken wheels, strange axles, many kinds of yokes, reins and bridles, bows and arrows; elephants’ bright trappings, saddle-cloths and carpets; clubs and goads; spears, bhindipālas, quivers, tridents, axes, lances, tomaras, kunta-spears, staves, śataghnīs, bhuśuṇḍīs, swords, hatchets, pestles, hammers, maces, and other weapons; golden whips, bells of lordly elephants, various howdahs and saddles, garlands, diverse ornaments, and precious garments. O best of the Bhāratas, by these the earth is adorned—like the star-strewn sky in the season of autumn.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a stark aestheticized image of war’s residue: the earth ‘adorned’ by broken weapons and gear like a starry autumn sky. The ethical undertone is the contrast between poetic beauty and the grim reality of destruction, prompting reflection on impermanence and the true cost of kṣatriya conflict.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes the battlefield after intense fighting: chariot parts, elephant equipment, banners, and many kinds of weapons lie scattered everywhere. He compares the ground glittering with these objects to the autumn sky filled with stars.